Preview: Banneker Bulldogs vs. Jackson-Reed Tigers
The Banneker Bulldogs will head out on the road to challenge the Jackson-Reed Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in District of Columbia (Banneker is ranked ninth, while Jackson-Reed is ranked fourth).
Last Monday, Banneker came up short against Coolidge and fell 59-49. Banneker has not had much luck with Coolidge recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Despite the defeat, Banneker saw an underclassman step up: Promise Njoku scored 24 points along with three steals and two blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Rainelle McNeill, who scored seven points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Jackson-Reed strolled past Roosevelt with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 49-35. The win made it back-to-back wins for Jackson-Reed.
Jackson-Reed's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kryslynn Stewart, who scored 13 points along with five steals. Stewart hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. Aminyah Muhammed was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Banneker has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-4 record this season. As for Jackson-Reed, they pushed their record up to 7-5-1 with that victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.
Wednesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Banneker have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 19.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Jackson-Reed, though, as they've been averaging only 33.2 rebounds per game. Given Banneker's sizeable advantage in that area, Jackson-Reed will need to find a way to close that gap.
Banneker skirted past Jackson-Reed 40-37 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Banneker since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
