The Walnut Ridge Scots will take on the Eastmoor Academy Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Walnut Ridge has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 219 points over their last three contests.
Walnut Ridge took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They breezed by Briggs to the tune of 82-26. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 53-14.
| 12/10/24 vs Briggs | 4 |
| 12/07/24 vs Aiken | 4 |
| 11/30/24 vs Western Hills | 2 |
| 03/09/24 @ Hayes | 2 |
| 03/06/24 @ Grove City | 2 |
Walnut Ridge's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Marquis Lucas, who went 7 for 11 on his way to 14 points and four steals. Lucas is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Jahleel Wakeel was another key player, putting up nine points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Eastmoor Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss dating back to last season. They fell to South 47-41. While the Warriors didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Bulldogs 9-4 in the first quarter.
Despite the defeat, Eastmoor Academy saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Dekar Moultry dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 boards. The dominant performance also gave Moultry a new career-high in blocks (seven). Another player making a difference was JD Broomfield, who posted six points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.
Walnut Ridge now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Eastmoor Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Walnut Ridge has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Eastmoor Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Walnut Ridge against Eastmoor Academy in their previous matchup back in January, as the squad secured a 91-56 victory. In that game, Walnut Ridge amassed a halftime lead of 43-20, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
