The Reading Rangers will head out to take on the Concord Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Reading has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Concord will arrive with six straight victories.
On Monday, Reading lost to Morenci on the road by a 61-44 margin. While losing is never fun, the Rangers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 334th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 165th).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Brayden Wright, who posted 12 points in addition to eight assists and six boards. Parker Riddle also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assist of the season.
Meanwhile, Concord beat Hanover-Horton 49-36 on Monday. Those 49 points were actually the fewest the Yellowjackets have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Reading better keep an eye on Jett Smith. He was instrumental in Concord's win, going 12-for-24 to rack up 27 points and six rebounds. Smith's big performance that evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Connor Stevens, who had four points and 21 boards.
Concord smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Concord's record is now 6-0. As for Reading, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Reading has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Concord struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Reading ended up a good deal behind Concord when the teams last played back in February, losing 58-42. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Stevens, who dropped a double-double with 27 points and ten rebounds. Now that the Rangers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
