Basketball Game Preview: Unaka Rangers vs. Washburn Pirates

The Unaka Rangers will take on the Washburn Pirates at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

While Unaka didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-22), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Twin Springs 63-30. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rangers.

It was another big night for Michelle Shields, who went 8 for 15 on her way to 25 points and six assists. Her evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kalli Shepard, who went 5 of 9 on her way to 14 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Washburn over Thomas Walker in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Washburn blew Thomas Walker out of the water with a 54-19 final score. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Pirates had established a 34 point advantage.

Washburn's win came from a few key players Unaka will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hannah Williams, who posted ten points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Saylor Clay, who had 14 points.

Unaka is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 36.2 points. As for Washburn, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Unaka has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Washburn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Unaka lost to Washburn at home by a decisive 53-36 margin in their previous matchup back in February. Will Unaka have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.