Jordan-Matthews hasn't had much luck against Chatham Central recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Jordan-Matthews Jets will venture away from home to challenge the Chatham Central Bears at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, Jordan-Matthews was able to grind out a solid victory over Graham, taking the game 61-49. The win continues a trend for the Jets in their matchups with the Red Devils: they've now won four in a row.
Jordan-Matthews found their leader in sophomore Zaeon Auguste, who dropped a double-double with 26 points and 18 rebounds. Thanks to that strong game, Auguste now owns an excellent 45.7% shooting accuracy. Another player making a difference was Kamarie Hadley, who posted 13 points in addition to five boards and five steals.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Chatham Central beat North Moore 66-60 on Friday. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 180th, while the Mustangs are ranked 555th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jordan-Matthews better keep an eye on Reid Albright. He was instrumental in Chatham Central's win, going 10-for-13 on his way to 25 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Albright's evening made it 19 games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Brennen Oldham was another key player, going 7-for-16 to rack up 17 points and six boards.
Chatham Central was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Moore only racked up eight assists.
Chatham Central pushed their record up to 20-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for Jordan-Matthews, their record is now 9-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Jordan-Matthews has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Chatham Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Jordan-Matthews came up short against Chatham Central in their previous meeting on Wednesday, falling 68-59. Can Jordan-Matthews avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
