Long Reach has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Hammond Golden Bears at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Long Reach's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last five games.
Even though Marriotts Ridge scored an imposing 64 points on Friday, Long Reach still came out on top. Long Reach took their match against Marriotts Ridge 77-64. Given Long Reach's advantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while Marriotts Ridge is ranked 152nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jayden Saunders and RJ Barnes were among the main playmakers for Long Reach as the former scored 20 points along with eight rebounds and five assists and the latter scored 25 points along with three steals. Saunders hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Dillon Mckinney was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hammond pushed their score all the way to 60 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 70-60 to Centennial. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Hammond in their matchups with Centennial: they've now lost five in a row.
Long Reach's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.5 points per game. As for Hammond, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Long Reach against Hammond when the teams last played back in December of 2022 as the squad secured a 79-41 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Long Reach since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
