Two dominant guards in Rainelle McNeil and Kennedy Austin are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Banneker Bulldogs will take on the Maret Frogs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Banneker comes in on seven and Maret on four.
Banneker is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 64-16 win over Cardozo. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 22 points or more this season.
| 12/20/24 @ Cardozo | 10 |
| 12/18/24 vs Bard | 3 |
| 12/16/24 @ Bell | 4 |
| 12/11/24 vs Woodson | 4 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Banneker to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ava Baughns, who posted eight points along with ten steals and six boards. Baughns is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played. McNeil was another key player, going 5 for 7 on her way to 13 points and five assists.
Banneker was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Maret was able to grind out a solid victory over Flowers on Tuesday, taking the game 69-59.
Maret had a senior duo take command as Austin dropped a double-double on 24 points and 14 boards and London Liley went 6 of 14 on her way to 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Amara Flowers, who went 5 of 8 on her way to 13 points.
Maret pushed their record up to 8-2 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.9 points per game. As for Banneker, their victory bumped their record up to 7-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Banneker has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 42.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Maret struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Banneker didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Maret when the teams last played back in December of 2017, but they still walked away with a 37-31 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Banneker since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
