StoneBridge has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against Gateway Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
A well-balanced attack led StoneBridge over Isle of Wight Academy in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that StoneBridge blew Isle of Wight Academy out of the water with a 66-32 final score. StoneBridge pushed the score to 54-23 by the end of the third, a deficit Isle of Wight Academy had no chance of recovering from.
It was another big night for Jeremy Wells, who scored 12 points along with six assists and five steals. Douglas Marshall was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Gateway Christian didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Broadwater Academy on Thursday, but they still walked away with a 46-41 win. The victory was just what Gateway Christian needed coming off of a 66-37 defeat in their prior game.
Gateway Christian got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jacob Holestin out in front who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Holestin has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 15 rebounds.
The win got StoneBridge back to even at 10-10. Gateway Christian's record now sits at 8-9.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: StoneBridge have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Gateway Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 20.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
StoneBridge strolled past Gateway Christian when the teams last played back in January by a score of 45-29. The rematch might be a little tougher for StoneBridge since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
