Two dominant guards in Ben Gilliard and Kyran Glover are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Charleston Math & Science Riptide will head out to take on the Branchville Yellow Jackets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Branchville took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Charleston Math & Science, who comes in off a win.
On Wednesday, Charleston Math & Science beat Palmetto Scholars Academy 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.
Charleston Math & Science relied on the efforts of Haasawn Todd, who posted 18 points and three steals, and Zion King, who earned 14 points in addition to five assists and four steals. Todd continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Ny'Gel Washington-Blake was another key player, putting up seven points and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Branchville was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 55-49 to Baptist Hill.
Charleston Math & Science will have to contain Glover as he made an impact in Branchville's last game. He scored 14 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Marcus Felder, who made all 5 shots he took to post 10 points.
Branchville's loss dropped their record down to 6-10. As for Charleston Math & Science, their win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Charleston Math & Science has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Branchville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Charleston Math & Science came up short against Branchville when the teams last played back in December of 2014, falling 65-61. Can Charleston Math & Science avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
