Basketball Game Preview: Cooper Jaguars vs. Assumption Rockets

The Cooper Jaguars are taking a road trip to take on the Assumption Rockets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Cooper is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last eight games.

Cooper is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Kentucky's top teams: Frederick Douglass, who was ranked ninth at the time (Cooper was ranked third). Cooper put the hurt on Frederick Douglass with a sharp 58-38 victory on Tuesday. The Jaguars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Notre Dame Academy typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Assumption proved too difficult a challenge. They secured a 57-53 W over the Pandas. Winning may never get old, but the Rockets sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Assumption's win came from a few key players Cooper will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Se'Rae Palmer, who went 6-for-12 en route to 13 points along with five assists and five steals. That's the most assists she has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyleigh Hall, who almost dropped a double-double with 13 points and nine boards.

Cooper's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-4. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.1 points over those games. As for Assumption, their victory bumped their record up to 19-5.

Everything came up roses for Cooper against Assumption when the teams last played back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 70-39 win. In that game, Cooper amassed a halftime lead of 40-16, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.