The Monroe Golden Tornadoes will venture away from home to square off against the Westover Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Monroe knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Westover likes a good challenge.
Last Saturday, Monroe didn't have too much trouble with Terrell County as they won 69-53. Given the Golden Tornadoes' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 125th, while the Greenwave are ranked 322nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Monroe's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brayden Burns led the charge by dropping a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds. Monroe is 9-4 when Burns posts ten or more boards, but 3-4 otherwise. Nehemiah Tinch was another key player, going 6 for 9 en route to 17 points and six rebounds.
Monroe smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Westover entered their tilt with Bible Baptist Christian on Monday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They slipped by the Wolves 41-40.
Westover's win came from a few key players Monroe will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jalen Holmes, who posted 11 points. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Reese, who had three points in addition to five assists and five boards.
Monroe's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.7 points per game. As for Westover, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Monroe has been crazy accurate this season, having nailed 55% of their shots per game. It's a different story for Westover, though, as they've only nailed 34.5% of their field goals this season. Given Monroe's sizable advantage in that area, Westover will need to find a way to close that gap.
Monroe came out on top in a nail-biter against Westover in their previous meeting on January 10th, sneaking past 41-39. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Westover's Greg Williams, who went 8 of 9 on his way to 20 points and six rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Monroe still be able to contain Williams? There's only one way to find out.
