In what's become a running theme this season, the Rapides Mustangs gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They breezed by Harrisonburg on the road to the tune of 70-30. Given Rapides' advantage in MaxPreps' Louisiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 167th, while Harrisonburg is ranked 352nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Christopher Newton was his usual excellent self, scoring 22 points along with eight assists and five steals. It was the first time this season that he posted eight or more assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Sheldrick Vall, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
When it comes to explaining why Harrisonburg lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ryan Fuqua. Despite the final result, he scored 16 points along with five rebounds and four steals. That was a full 53.3% of Harrisonburg's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Laine Dupuis, who scored four points along with six rebounds and four blocks.
Rapides is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-10 record this season. As for Harrisonburg, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 11-15.
Rapides won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Alexandria Country Day at 7:00 p.m. on February 7th. Alexandria Country Day is coming into the match with eight straight losses on the road, meaning Rapides will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory. As for Harrisonburg, they will stay at home for another game and welcome Monterey at 5:30 p.m. on February 9th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
