Preview: Reading Rangers vs. Concord Yellowjackets
The Reading Rangers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Concord Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Reading has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Concord will arrive with seven straight victories.
Reading suffered their closest loss since December 8, 2023 on Friday. They fell just short of Union City by a score of 42-39.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Brayden Wright, who scored ten points along with three steals. He hasn't dropped below three steals for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Brady Kling, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, even though Hanover-Horton scored an imposing 57 points on Wednesday, Concord still came out on top. Concord took their game against Hanover-Horton 68-57.
Concord's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jett Smith led the charge by scoring 26 points along with two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. Mekhi Wingfield was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Reading has traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-14 record this season. As for Concord, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Reading have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Concord 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.
Reading was taken down by Concord 62-16 in their previous matchup back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Wingfield, who scored 31 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Now that Reading knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
