Preview: Clarkson/Leigh Patriots vs. Oakland-Craig Knights
The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Oakland-Craig Knights at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Clarkson/Leigh focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Saturday.
Last Saturday, Clarkson/Leigh came up short against Madison and fell 45-34. Clarkson/Leigh has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, Clarkson/Leigh saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kyle McMullin, who scored 10 points along with 9 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Hamernik, who scored 6 points along with 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Oakland-Craig didn't have too much breathing room in their match against South Sioux City on Saturday, but they still walked away with a 55-49 victory.
Oakland-Craig's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braylon Anderson, who scored 20 points along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Isaak Maxwell was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with 3 steals.
Clarkson/Leigh's loss dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Oakland-Craig, the victory got them back to even at 1-1.
Clarkson/Leigh was able to grind out a solid win over Oakland-Craig when the teams last played back in December of 2022, winning 53-43. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Oakland-Craig's Grant Seagren, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Clarkson/Leigh to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
