Basketball Game Preview: Exeter-West Greenwich Scarlet Knights vs. Woonsocket Villa Novans

The Exeter-West Greenwich Scarlet Knights will challenge the Woonsocket Villa Novans at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Exeter-West Greenwich has three straight wins, Woonsocket has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

If Exeter-West Greenwich beats Woonsocket with 50 points on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. Exeter-West Greenwich blew past Central Falls/Blackstone Valley Prep 50-22 on Friday. The Scarlet Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 21 points or more this season.

Exeter-West Greenwich's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kate Hebert, who went 7 for 13 on her way to 15 points in addition to seven steals and six assists. The game was Hebert's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Niniola Olawuyi, who went 6 of 13 en route to 13 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.

Meanwhile, Woonsocket had to suffer through a 52-17 loss at the hands of Prout. While losing is never fun, the Villa Novans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Rhode Island basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while the Crusaders are ranked ninth).

Exeter-West Greenwich pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.8 points per game. As for Woonsocket, their loss dropped their record down to 3-11.

Exeter-West Greenwich strolled past Woonsocket when the teams last played back in February of 2018 by a score of 43-29. Will Exeter-West Greenwich repeat their success, or does Woonsocket have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.