The Merkel Badgers will take on the Benjamin Mustangs in a tournament on Monday. Merkel has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Merkel is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Texas Leadership Charter Academy - Abilene: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Badgers blew the Eagles out of the water with a 65-34 final score. While the Badgers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-21), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, Benjamin didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Newcastle last Thursday, but they still walked away with a 44-39 victory. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 508th, while the Bobcats are ranked 1099th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Merkel better keep an eye on Keegan Hayes. He was instrumental in Benjamin's win, dropping a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Hayes has been hot, having also posted four or more steals the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Heston Harney, who posted 11 points and six boards.
Merkel has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. As for Benjamin, their record is now 6-2.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
