Two dominant guards in Jayden Beyan and Ahmad Savage are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Concord Spiders will take on the Mallard Creek Mavericks in a tournament on Friday. One thing working in Concord's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last seven games.
Concord is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing West Rowan: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Concord blew West Rowan out of the water with a 79-51 final score. The Spiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 23 points or more this season.
| 12/20/24 vs West Rowan | 20 |
| 12/13/24 @ Lake Norman Charter | 22 |
| 12/11/24 vs Forest Hills | 18 |
Concord's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kyzen Coleman led the charge by going 7 for 13 on his way to 20 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals. Coleman's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jabari Byrd, who went 7 of 8 on his way to 16 points and five rebounds.
Concord smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in ten consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Mallard Creek was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 47-43 to Catawba Ridge. The Mavericks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Concord will need focus on slowing down Troy Griffin, one of several Mallard Creek players who made an impact when they last played. He posted 12 points and six rebounds. Those 12 points gave Griffin a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lajalin Overton, who put up ten points and six rebounds.
Concord's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.3 points. As for Mallard Creek, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Concord has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mallard Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Concord came up short against Mallard Creek in their previous meeting back in December of 2019, falling 43-37. Can Concord avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
