Merrol Hyde Magnet has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the White House Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Merrol Hyde Magnet focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Tuesday.
Merrol Hyde Magnet suffered their biggest defeat since December 1, 2023 on Tuesday. They were the victim of a rough 58-38 loss at the hands of East Robertson. Merrol Hyde Magnet has not had much luck with East Robertson recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Bennett Altepeter, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds. That's the first time this season that he pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Mullins, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Merrol Hyde Magnet smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. This was only their ninth loss (out of 12 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but White House ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They managed a 70-66 win over Macon County. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
White House's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ryan Worrell, who dropped a double-double on 28 points and ten rebounds. That's the first time this season that Worrell pulled down eight or more rebounds. Louis Taylor was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Merrol Hyde Magnet dropped their record down to 3-12 with that loss, which was their seventh straight at home. As for White House, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Merrol Hyde Magnet have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like White House struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Merrol Hyde Magnet was taken down by White House 79-47 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Merrol Hyde Magnet avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
