Harlem hasn't had much luck against Rockford East recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Harlem Huskies will venture away from home to square off against the Rockford East E-Rabs at 7:15 p.m. Harlem knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Rockford East likes a good challenge.
Last Wednesday, Harlem came up short against Hononegah and fell 66-56.
Amhaad Heard
| 12/28/23 vs Dunlap | 7 |
| 02/05/25 vs Hononegah | 14 |
| 11/29/24 @ Sycamore | 11 |
| 01/22/25 vs Boylan Catholic | 7 |
| 01/08/25 vs Rockford East | 7 |
Despite their loss, Harlem saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Amhaad Heard, who went 6 for 8 on his way to 14 points and eight boards, was perhaps the best of all. The dominant performance gave Heard a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Matthew Saunders, who went 5 of 9 en route to 17 points.
Meanwhile, Rockford East waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They walked away with a 74-61 victory over the Bucs. Given the E-Rabs' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 167th, while the Bucs are ranked 532nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rockford East's win came from a few key players Harlem will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brian Harper, who went 7 for 10 on his way to 17 points along with five assists and five rebounds. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Marquis Goldsmith was another key player, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 15 boards.
Rockford East smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive games.
Rockford East pushed their record up to 16-11 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.2 points per game. As for Harlem, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-16.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Harlem has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 24.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Rockford East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Harlem and Rockford East were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in January, but Harlem came up empty-handed after a 47-46 loss. Can Harlem avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
