Preview: Drew Dragons vs. Rise University Prep Panthers
The Drew Dragons will head out on the road to challenge the Rise University Prep Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Drew is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
On Tuesday, Drew lost to International at home by a decisive 59-41 margin. While losing is never fun, Drew can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 709th, while International is ranked 341st).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Teo Kimball-Directo, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last 18 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Gianni Obregon, who scored six points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Rise University Prep came up short against Pinewood two weeks ago and fell 63-51. Rise University Prep has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Marcus Cage put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 19 points. Another player making a difference was Prince Dean, who scored eight points.
Drew's loss dropped their record down to 11-11. As for Rise University Prep, they dropped their record down to 1-5 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home.
Drew took their victory against Rise University Prep in their previous meeting on January 9th by a conclusive 72-46. The rematch might be a little tougher for Drew since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
