Pocomoke is 2-8 against Bennett since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Pocomoke Warriors will head out to challenge the Bennett Clippers at 6:00 p.m. Pocomoke knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six games -- so hopefully Bennett likes a good challenge.
Last Tuesday, Pocomoke didn't have quite enough to beat Mardela and fell 64-62. Pocomoke was up 21-7 in the first quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
| 02/04/25 vs Mardela | 12 |
| 02/03/25 vs Bennett | 15 |
| 01/30/25 @ Wicomico | 9 |
| 01/28/25 vs Decatur | 10 |
| 01/27/25 @ Mardela | 10 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from DESHOUR PRITCHETT, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was MALACHI BONNEVILLE, who went 7 for 10 en route to 14 points along with six boards and three steals.
Even though they lost, Pocomoke smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive rebounds in 20 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Bennett had already won six in a row and they went ahead and made it seven on Tuesday. They took down the Crabbers 78-61. Given the Clippers' advantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 70th, while the Crabbers are ranked 262nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pocomoke better keep an eye on Zakai Smullen. He was instrumental in Bennett's win, putting up 33 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which Smullen has scored at least a third of Bennett's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Colon, who posted 14 points.
Bennett has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.0 points per game. As for Pocomoke, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.
Thursday's game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: JAMIR ROBERTS and Smullen. ROBERTS has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 13.6 points, 4 steals, and 3.3 assists. For his part, Smullen has averaged 23.8 points.
Pocomoke couldn't quite finish off Bennett when the teams last played on Monday and fell 79-76. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Smullen, who scored 33 points. Now that Pocomoke knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
