The Ninety Six Wildcats will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Newberry Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Ninety Six's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while Newberry has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Last Friday, Ninety Six came up short against Saluda and fell 35-26. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Ninety Six has scored all season.
Ninety Six's defeat came about despite a quality game from Janiyah Squire, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds. Squire has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last six times she's played.
Newberry suffered their closest loss yet this season on Wednesday. They fell just short of Saluda by a score of 45-43. While losing is never fun, Newberry can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 221st, while Saluda is ranked 98th).
Ninety Six's defeat dropped their record down to 8-4. As for Newberry, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season.
Ninety Six strolled past Newberry in their previous meeting two weeks ago by a score of 59-41. Will Ninety Six repeat their success, or does Newberry have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
