Basketball Preview: Hobgood Charter Raiders vs. Mattamuskeet Lakers
Hobgood Charter has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Mattamuskeet Lakers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Hobgood Charter focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, Hobgood Charter came up short against the Hurricanes and fell 50-42. Hobgood Charter has struggled against the Hurricanes recently, as their game on Tuesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Janiya Blanding, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds. She continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Emma Rae Cannon, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, Mattamuskeet was beaten by the Raiders 62-34 on Thursday. While losing is never fun, Mattamuskeet can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 588th, while the Raiders are ranked 247th).
Mattamuskeet might have lost, but man, Kensley Cox was a machine: she scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. That was a full 61.8% of Mattamuskeet's points, marking the 13th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of ANGIE MENDOZA, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Hobgood Charter has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season. As for Mattamuskeet, their defeat was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hobgood Charter have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mattamuskeet struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Hobgood Charter against the Lakers in their previous matchup back in January as the squad secured a 37-5 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hobgood Charter since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
