The Unaka Rangers's homestand continues as they prepare to take on the Washburn Pirates at 6:30 p.m. on February 6th. The pair are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Unaka scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They put the hurt on University with a sharp 57-36 victory. That's two games straight that Unaka has won by exactly 21 points.
Unaka had a senior duo take command as Haley Taylor scored 17 points along with six rebounds and Alisha Harrell scored 17 points along with five rebounds and three steals. It was the first time this season that Harrell scored 15 or more points. Katlyn Dugger was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Washburn entered their tilt with the Eagles with nine consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with ten. Everything went Washburn's way against the Eagles on Friday as the Pirates made off with a 70-49 win. Washburn has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 21 points or more this season.
Washburn's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ebany Hill, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Hill hasn't dropped below 15 points for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Saylor Clay, who scored 17 points along with two steals.
Unaka's win bumped their record up to 6-16. As for Washburn, their victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-4.
Tuesday's matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Unaka have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Washburn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 20.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Unaka might still be hurting after the 53-32 defeat they got from the Pirates in their previous meeting back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hill, who scored 26 points along with two steals. Now that Unaka knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
