Wagner has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Bowne Wildcats at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Thursday, Wagner beat Eagle Academy II 63-55. The victory was all the more spectacular given Wagner's disadvantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 317th, while Eagle Academy II is ranked 49th).
Meanwhile, Bowne had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They blew past Eagle Academy III 76-50. The result was nothing new for Bowne, who have now won four games by 20 points or more so far this season.
Bowne's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Darrel Taylor, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Taylor has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Khaleel Williams-Mitchell, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
The win got Wagner back to even at 3-3. As for Bowne, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
Wagner took their victory against Bowne in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 by a conclusive 78-55. Will Wagner repeat their success, or does Bowne have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
