Basketball Recap: Ballou Takes Down Ranked Bard

On Wednesday, Ballou faced Bard in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Ballou Knights came out on top against the Bard Falcons by a score of 59-50. The Knights have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Falcons, too.

Ballou's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ryheem Benton, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 15 boards. Benton has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Roderick Lake, who went 6 for 10 on his way to 15 points.

Ballou smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

When it comes to explaining why Bard lost, don't look at Andre Wright. Despite the final result, he went 5 of 9 en route to 14 points along with eight boards and five blocks. That's the most blocks Wright has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Kevin Phifer, who posted six points.

Ballou has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points per game. As for Bard, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season.

Ballou will face off against Cardozo at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Ballou is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53 points per game this season. As for Bard, they will square off against School Without Walls at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.