Preview: Wheatmore Warriors vs. Eastern Randolph Wildcats
Wheatmore and the Wildcats are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Wheatmore Warriors will be playing in front of their home fans against the Eastern Randolph Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Wheatmore has now lost 19 straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since November 20.
Last Tuesday, Wheatmore was the victim of a rough 75-52 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs. Wheatmore has struggled against the Bulldogs recently, as their match on Tuesday was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their defeat, Wheatmore saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Colin Dobb, who scored eight points along with two steals, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Wyatt Stepp, who scored nine points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Eastern Randolph fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Tigers on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 76-66 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers. Eastern Randolph's loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Despite the defeat, Eastern Randolph got a solid performance out of Nicah Taylor, who scored 32 points along with two steals. Taylor is crushing the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Timothy Brower, who scored 16 points.
Wheatmore dropped their record down to 1-19 with that defeat, which was their seventh straight at home. As for Eastern Randolph, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-8.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Wheatmore have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.8% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Eastern Randolph struggles in that department as they've nailed 39.7% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wheatmore was taken down by the Wildcats 80-50 when the teams last played back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Brower, who scored 29 points along with seven steals. Now that Wheatmore knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
