Fort Bend Clements and Fort Bend Elkins are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Fort Bend Clements Rangers will host the Fort Bend Elkins Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Fort Bend Clements is returning to their home court after beating Ridge Point on theirs, despite the fact Ridge Point has dominated at home this season. Fort Bend Clements claimed a resounding 61-32 win over Ridge Point. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Rangers' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Panthers are ranked 33rd).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Fort Bend Clements to victory, but perhaps none more so than Aziz Olajuwon, who went 9 of 16 on his way to 23 points and eight rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which Olajuwon has scored at least a third of Fort Bend Clements' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keshav Vijaykumar, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards.
Fort Bend Clements smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Fort Bend Elkins had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They strolled past Fort Bend Dulles with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 59-44.
Fort Bend Elkins' win came from a few key players Fort Bend Clements will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Joshua Lord, who went 5 for 7 en route to 11 points. Jacari Irvin was another key player, putting up ten points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Fort Bend Clements pushed their record up to 15-10 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.2 points per game. As for Fort Bend Elkins, their victory ended an eight-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 11-17.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fort Bend Clements has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fort Bend Elkins struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Fort Bend Clements beat Fort Bend Elkins 54-47 in their previous matchup on January 8th. Does Fort Bend Clements have another victory up their sleeve, or will Fort Bend Elkins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
