The Wilmington Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Clifton Central Comets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Friday, Wilmington came up short against Manteno and fell 55-46.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Ryan Nelson, who scored 12 points along with two blocks. Another player making a difference was Lucas Rink, who scored 14 points.
Clifton Central has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a 53-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of La Salette Academy on Saturday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Clifton Central has scored all season.
Despite the loss, Clifton Central got a solid performance out of Aidan Podowicz, who scored nine points along with five assists and three steals. Logan Fritz was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with eight rebounds.
Wilmington's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-6. As for Clifton Central, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 14-8.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Wilmington have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Clifton Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wilmington was able to grind out a solid victory over Clifton Central in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, winning 54-47. Will Wilmington repeat their success, or does Clifton Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
