The Harding Presidents are on the road again on Friday and plays the Fitch Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on February 2nd. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Harding struggled with assists on Friday (the Wildcats had 20 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Harding was dealt a 90-62 loss at the hands of the Wildcats. Harding was down 74-45 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Despite their defeat, Harding saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Craig Chandler, who scored 19 points along with seven blocks and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Chandler hasn't dropped below two blocks for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Guillaume Mulenga Jr., who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Fitch faced the Saints in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Fitch received a tough blow on Friday as they fell 82-66 to the Saints. Fitch just can't catch a break and has now endured three defeats in a row.
Fitch's defeat came about despite a quality game from Jayvon "JJ" Robinson, who scored 26 points along with six assists and five steals. Robinson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Malakhi Sabb, who scored eight points along with three blocks.
Fitch struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Harding's defeat dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Fitch, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-5.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Harding hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 56.6 points per game. However, it's not like Fitch struggles in that department as they've been averaging 71 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Harding took a serious blow against the Falcons when the teams last played back in January of 2023, falling 64-26. Can Harding avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
