Preview: Fitch Falcons vs. Harding Presidents
The Fitch Falcons will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Harding Presidents at 7:00 p.m. Fitch has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,002 points over their last 14 contests.
Last Friday, Fitch faced the Saints in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The matchup between Fitch and the Saints wasn't particularly close, with the Falcons falling 82-66. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Fitch in their matchups with the Saints: they've now lost five in a row.
Despite the defeat, Fitch saw an underclassman step up: Jayvon "JJ" Robinson scored 26 points along with six assists and five steals. Robinson is crushing the point category: he's posted at least 16 every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Malakhi Sabb, who scored eight points along with three blocks.
Fitch struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Harding pushed their score all the way to 62 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a serious blow against Seymour, falling 90-62. Harding was down 74-45 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Craig Chandler, who scored 19 points along with seven blocks and three steals. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last four times he's played. Guillaume Mulenga Jr. was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.
Fitch's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Harding, their loss dropped their record down to 4-6.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Fitch have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 39.5% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Harding struggles in that department as they've made 40.7% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Fitch against the Presidents in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 64-26 victory. Will Fitch repeat their success, or do the Presidents have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
