Preview: Nipmuc Regional Warriors vs. Hopedale Blue Raiders
The Nipmuc Regional Warriors will head out on the road to challenge the Hopedale Blue Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Last Thursday, Nipmuc Regional came up short against Douglas and fell 62-51. It was the first time this season that Nipmuc Regional let down their fans at home.
Nipmuc Regional's loss came about despite a quality game from James McKinney, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 13 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points McKinney has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Kelly, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Hopedale waltzed into their game on Friday with three straight wins but they left with four. They walked away with a 36-28 victory over Sutton. Despite the win, that was the fewest points Hopedale has scored all season.
Patrick Madden was his usual excellent self, scoring 20 points. Robbie Manning was another key contributor, scoring seven points.
Nipmuc Regional's defeat ended a 12-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3. As for Hopedale, their win bumped their record up to 7-5.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's match: Nipmuc Regional have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 6.3 threes per game. It's a different story for Hopedale, though, as they've been averaging only 5.8 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Nipmuc Regional strolled past Hopedale in their previous matchup on January 5th by a score of 69-51. The rematch might be a little tougher for Nipmuc Regional since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
