It'll be Battle of the Birds when the Grasso Tech Eagles duke it out with the Prince RVT Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Friday... Grasso Tech knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten contests -- so hopefully Prince RVT likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Grasso Tech was fully in charge, breezing past Harvard Ellis Tech 87-60. Grasso Tech has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 26 points or more this season.
Julius Washington continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 17 of 35 on his way to 42 points and six rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Grasso Tech's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jerry Santiago, who dropped a double-double on 13 boards and ten assists.
Grasso Tech smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 21 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Prince RVT came up short against Middletown on Tuesday and fell 61-49. The defeat continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Blue Dragons: they've now lost seven in a row.
Grasso Tech will have to keep a close watch on Cal Williams and Jordan Iverson, a pair of players who had a big impact on Prince RVT's prior game. Williams went 9 of 17 on his way to 22 points and five rebounds, while Iverson almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine boards. Those five rebounds gave Williams a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Justice Black, who posted six points.
Grasso Tech's victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Prince RVT, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Grasso Tech has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Prince RVT struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Grasso Tech beat Prince RVT 66-54 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Grasso Tech since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
