Two dominant guards in Kyran Glover and Ben Gilliard are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Branchville Yellow Jackets will be playing at home against the Charleston Math & Science Riptide at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Branchville is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.1 points per game this season.
Last Tuesday, Branchville was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 55-49 to Baptist Hill.
Despite the loss, Branchville got top-tier performance from Glover, who posted 14 points and five boards. Another player making a difference was Marcus Felder, who made all 5 shots he took racking up 10 points.
Meanwhile, Charleston Math & Science was able to grind out a solid win over Palmetto Scholars Academy on Wednesday, taking the game 45-37. Given the Riptide's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Phoenix are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Branchville better focus on containing Haasawn Todd and Zion King as the pair were huge in Charleston Math & Science's win. Todd earned 18 points and three steals, while King scored 14 points in addition to five assists and four steals. King is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ny'Gel Washington-Blake, who put up seven points and three blocks.
Charleston Math & Science's victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4. As for Branchville, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Branchville has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 28.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Charleston Math & Science struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Branchville didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Charleston Math & Science when the teams last played back in December of 2014, but they still walked away with a 65-61 win. Does Branchville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Charleston Math & Science turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
