Basketball Game Preview: St. Stephens Indians vs. Alexander Central Cougars

The St. Stephens Indians will head out on the road to challenge the Alexander Central Cougars at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. Stephens knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matches -- so hopefully Alexander Central likes a good challenge.

Last Friday, St. Stephens earned a 71-58 victory over Bunker Hill.

St. Stephens found their leader in sophomore Javian White, who went 10 for 18 on his way to 26 points and six assists. The contest was White's eighth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Vanbeurden, who posted 22 points in addition to five boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Alexander Central suffered their closest defeat since January 26th on Tuesday. They fell just short of McDowell by a score of 44-42. The game marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

St. Stephens will have to contain Jayon Connor as he made an impact in Alexander Central's last game. He dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 rebounds. That was a full 52.4% of Alexander Central's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's had more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Jaheim Redmond, who put up five points and five steals.

Alexander Central now has a losing record at 2-3. As for St. Stephens, their win ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-3.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. St. Stephens hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 65.4 points per game. However, it's not like Alexander Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 59.5 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

St. Stephens skirted past Alexander Central 51-48 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Alexander Central's Chad Lasher, who posted 18 points and six rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for St. Stephens to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.