Preview: East Rowan Mustangs vs. Central Cabarrus Vikings
East Rowan is 1-9 against Central Cabarrus since December of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The East Rowan Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the Central Cabarrus Vikings at 7:30 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: East Rowan has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Central Cabarrus will arrive with 48 straight wins.
East Rowan suffered their biggest defeat since December 1, 2023 on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Concord on the road and fell 99-54. While losing is never fun, East Rowan can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 538th, while Concord is ranked 182nd).
Despite the loss, East Rowan got a solid performance out of Drake Jones, who scored 18 points. Another player making a difference was Jonathan Wembolua, who scored nine points.
In what's become a running theme this season, Central Cabarrus gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. They claimed a resounding 87-41 win over Lake Norman Charter on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Central Cabarrus has posted since December 5, 2023.
Desmond Kent Jr. continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 23 points and 14 rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Chase Daniel was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with eight assists and eight rebounds.
East Rowan's defeat dropped their record down to 2-12. As for Central Cabarrus, their victory was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-0.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: East Rowan have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 20.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Central Cabarrus, though, as they've been averaging only 31.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
East Rowan was taken down by Central Cabarrus 104-37 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. The match was all but decided by halftime, at which point East Rowan was down 64-17.
