Basketball Preview: Mauldin Mavericks vs. Hillcrest Rams
Mauldin has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Hillcrest Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mauldin knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matches -- so hopefully the Rams like a good challenge.
Even though J.L. Mann scored an imposing 71 points on Friday, Mauldin still came out on top. Mauldin walked away with a 78-71 win over the Patriots.
Mauldin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Owen Stewart led the charge by scoring 16 points. Stewart has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Sullivan, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hillcrest had to endure an eight-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They managed a 58-54 victory over T.L. Hanna on Friday. The victory was all the more spectacular given Hillcrest's disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 142nd, while the Yellow Jackets are ranked 13th).
Mauldin pushed their record up to 12-10 with that win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.2 points per game. As for Hillcrest, their win ended a ten-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-17.
Mauldin came out on top in a nail-biter against the Rams in their previous meeting back in January, sneaking past 64-61. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mauldin since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
