Preview: Mildred Eagles vs. Rice Bulldogs
Mildred and Rice are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Mildred Eagles will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Rice Bulldogs at 6:15 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mildred proved they can win big two weeks ago (they won by 23) but last Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged Blooming Grove out 44-42. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Mildred has posted yet this season.
Meanwhile, Rice entered their tilt with Scurry-Rosser with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. Rice blew past Scurry-Rosser, posting a 55-25 victory at home. Rice has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 27 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Saniya Burks, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and ten rebounds. That makes it 17 consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Rice's points. Aaliyah Nezar was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with three steals.
The victory makes it two in a row for Mildred and bumps their season record up to 11-12. As for Rice, their victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-4.
Mildred came up short against Rice in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 53-45. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Burks, who dropped a double-double on 40 points and ten rebounds. Now that Mildred knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
