Monroe is 3-0 against Columbus since January of 2023, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Monroe Golden Tornadoes will head out on the road to face off against the Columbus Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Tuesday, Monroe strolled past Carver with points to spare, taking the game 67-53.
It was another big night for Justin Burns, who scored 23 points along with eight rebounds and five blocks. He is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last 13 games he's played. Jaquan Maddox was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Columbus had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They took down Crisp County 58-40.
Monroe's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-5. As for Columbus, their win bumped their record up to 16-8.
Monroe didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Columbus when the teams last played back in January, but they still walked away with a 60-56 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Columbus' Oakley Koontz, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Monroe still be able to contain Koontz? There's only one way to find out.
