Preview: Bay Rockets vs. Westlake Demons
Bay and Westlake are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2016, but not for long. The Bay Rockets will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against the Westlake Demons at 7:15 p.m. on February 20th. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Bay has not done well against Elyria Catholic recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Bay came out on top against Elyria Catholic by a score of 74-62. The victory was just what Bay needed coming off of a 84-59 defeat in their prior match.
Bay's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Max Cockburn, who scored 20 points along with four steals. Evan Alexy was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought game, but Westlake had to settle for a 61-58 defeat against Olmsted Falls on Tuesday.
Westlake's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Derek Occhipinti, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and five assists, and Ryan Turk who scored 15 points along with two steals. Occhipinti hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Evan Hargett, who scored ten points.
Bay's victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-13. As for Westlake, they now have a losing record at 9-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bay have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Westlake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bay lost to Westlake on the road by a decisive 63-44 margin in their previous meeting on February 2nd. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Turk, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Now that Bay knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
