Preview: Crane Medical Cougars vs. Westinghouse Warriors
The Crane Medical Cougars will be home for the holidays to greet the Westinghouse Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Crane Medical will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Crane Medical has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 25 points or more this season. They breezed by North Grand at home to the tune of 70-14. Given Crane Medical's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while North Grand is ranked 407th), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Crane Medical's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Shauntee Turner led the charge by scoring 14 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Turner set a new season high mark in blocks with three. Another player making a difference was Sariah Allen, who scored 17 points along with eight steals and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Westinghouse narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Taft 46-44. The win was just what Westinghouse needed coming off of a 63-37 loss in their prior matchup.
Jamilah Jackson continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which she has scored at least 25% of Westinghouse's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Niera Newman, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds.
Crane Medical pushed their record up to 9-0 with that victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Westinghouse, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Crane Medical have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 28.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Westinghouse, though, as they've been averaging only 38.1 rebounds per game. Given Crane Medical's sizeable advantage in that area, Westinghouse will need to find a way to close that gap.
Crane Medical was taken down by Westinghouse 45-18 in their previous meeting back in December of 2018. Will Crane Medical have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
