Van Vleck has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Hempstead Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Tuesday, Van Vleck earned a 43-31 victory over Danbury. Given Van Vleck's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 723rd, while Danbury is ranked 1610th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Van Vleck relied on the efforts of Peyton Huerta, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Corey Austin, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and seven steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Huerta has scored all season. Hector Mares was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Hempstead scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They breezed by Harmony School of Discovery at home to the tune of 92-44. The final score was a far cry from the score of their previous head-to-head, which saw the teams combine for a single point.
Hempstead's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jamari Idlebird, who scored 19 points. That's the first time this season that Idlebird scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was JaMarion Mickles, who scored 19 points.
Van Vleck pushed their record up to 16-7 with that win, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for Hempstead, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 14-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Van Vleck have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hempstead struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Van Vleck was able to grind out a solid win over Hempstead in their previous matchup on January 2nd, winning 62-49. Will Van Vleck repeat their success, or does Hempstead have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
