Basketball Game Preview: Roanoke-Benson Rockets vs. Flanagan/Woodland Falcons

The Roanoke-Benson Rockets will challenge the Flanagan/Woodland Falcons at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Flanagan/Woodland will be up against a hot Roanoke-Benson squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Roanoke-Benson walked away with a 63-56 victory over Marquette on Thursday.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Flanagan/Woodland on Monday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Lowpoint-Washburn out of the water with a 60-17 final score. The matchup marked the Falcons' most dominant win of the season.

Roanoke-Benson better keep an eye on Ella Derossett. She was instrumental in Flanagan/Woodland's win, going 9 of 17 en route to 21 points along with six steals and five rebounds. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Derossett has scored at least a third of Flanagan/Woodland's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Emma Palaschak, who posted 19 points and three steals.

Flanagan/Woodland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive contests.

Roanoke-Benson pushed their record up to 24-5 with the victory, which was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points over those games. As for Flanagan/Woodland, their win ended a 12-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 9-18.

Roanoke-Benson was able to grind out a solid victory over Flanagan/Woodland when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 58-47. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Derossett, who went 9 for 13 on her way to 21 points and six boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Roanoke-Benson still be able to contain Derossett? There's only one way to find out.