Preview: Amistad Wolves vs. Middletown Blue Dragons
The Amistad Wolves will head out on the road to square off against the Middletown Blue Dragons at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Amistad is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.
Amistad proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by 57) but on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Haddam-Killingworth 43-40. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Amistad has posted yet this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Amistad to victory, but perhaps none more so than LaShaya Patterson, who scored 17 points along with eight blocks and seven rebounds. Patterson is absolutely dominating the block category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Fatema Thomas was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with eight steals and six rebounds.
Middletown posted their biggest win since December 15, 2023 on Friday. They took their match on the road with ease, bagging a 59-29 victory over Plainville. Given Middletown's advantage in MaxPreps' Connecticut basketball rankings (they are ranked 31st, while Plainville is ranked 132nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shalyn Smith and Tessa Porch were among the main playmakers for Middletown as the former scored 16 points along with five steals and the latter scored 21 points along with six rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Hendrix, who scored five points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
The win got Amistad back to even at 6-6. As for Middletown, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Amistad have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Middletown struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 28.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Amistad might still be hurting after the 65-45 defeat they got from Middletown when the teams last played back in January of 2023. Can Amistad avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
