The Harding Raiders will face off against the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Villa Angela-St. Joseph took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Harding, who comes in off a win.
Harding took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past McKinley 50-48.
Chaz Coleman had a dynamite game for Harding, almost dropping a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Gummy Hart, who posted six points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Villa Angela-St. Joseph played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against St. Ignatius, falling 87-67. The Vikings haven't had much luck with the Wildcats recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Loss or not, Villa Angela-St. Joseph got some senior leadership from Jeremiah Martin and Sean Shenker. Martin went 7 of 12 on his way to 17 points and three steals, while Shenker put up 13 points and four steals. Martin's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of OJ Spikes, who had nine points along with six boards and three blocks.
Villa Angela-St. Joseph's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-1. As for Harding, they now also have a winning record of 2-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Harding has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Villa Angela-St. Joseph struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Harding beat Villa Angela-St. Joseph 62-55 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Does Harding have another victory up their sleeve, or will Villa Angela-St. Joseph turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
