Basketball Game Preview: Coventry Patriots vs. Windham Whippets

The Coventry Patriots will square off against the Windham Whippets at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Coventry comes in on five and Windham on seven.

On Tuesday, Coventry needed a bit of extra time to put away East Windsor. They walked away with a 60-52 win over the Panthers.

It was another big night for Hailey Mayo, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 18 boards. Her evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Reese Jeamel, who went 6 for 13 on her way to 14 points and seven rebounds.

Coventry smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Windham faced Norwich Free Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Windham managed a 57-51 victory over Norwich Free Academy.

Windham's win came from a few key players Coventry will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Aniya Jenkins, who went 7 of 9 en route to 17 points. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Jaelize Rivera was another key player, going 5 for 7 on her way to 18 points.

Windham pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Coventry, their record now sits at 13-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Coventry has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Windham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Coventry took a serious blow against Windham when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 75-38. Can Coventry avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.