Walnut Ridge has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Briggs Bruins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Briggs took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Walnut Ridge, who comes in off a win.
Walnut Ridge scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 91-56 victory over Eastmoor Academy at home. With Walnut Ridge ahead 43-20 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Walnut Ridge can attribute much of their success to Marquis Lucas, who scored 23 points along with seven rebounds, and Dominique Aekins, who scored 29 points along with six rebounds and five steals. Aekins is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games he's played. Another player making a difference was Deon Johnson, who scored ten points along with nine rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Briggs pushed their score all the way to 67 on Monday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell to West 71-67. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their last game last Tuesday (62), Briggs still had to take the loss.
Walnut Ridge pushed their record up to 9-5 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.0 points per game. As for Briggs, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Walnut Ridge against Briggs in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 77-31 victory. With Walnut Ridge ahead 41-19 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
