Preview: Eisenhower Eagles vs. Aldine Mustangs
Eisenhower is on a four-game streak of home losses, Aldine an 11-game streak of away losses (dating back to last season), but someone's luck is about to change. The Eisenhower Eagles will take on the Aldine Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Eisenhower suffered their biggest loss since December 12, 2023 on Saturday. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 63-39 walloping at the hands of Westfield. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Eisenhower has suffered against Westfield since January 12, 2021.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Keiora Gaines, who scored 16 points along with nine rebounds. She continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Genesis Watson, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 74-40, which was the final score in Aldine's tilt against Benjamin Davis on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, Aldine can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 1325th, while Benjamin Davis is ranked 413th).
Aldine's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Melanie Umanzor, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Porsha Daniels who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Umanzor hasn't dropped below two blocks for 11 straight games.
Eisenhower has not been sharp recently, as they've lost 11 of their last 12 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-18 record this season. As for Aldine, their loss dropped their record down to 3-20.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Eisenhower have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 21 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Aldine, though, as they've been averaging only 23.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Eisenhower couldn't quite finish off Aldine in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 and fell 53-50. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Umanzor, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. Now that Eisenhower knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
