Two dominant players in Michael Jones and Jahlil Hope are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Pinewood Prep Panthers the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome the Ashley Ridge Swamp Foxes at 4:00 p.m. on January 15th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in South Carolina (Pinewood Prep is ranked 62nd, while Ashley Ridge is ranked 83rd).
Last Friday, Pinewood Prep ended up a good deal behind Porter-Gaud and lost 46-31. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Pinewood Prep in their matchups with Porter-Gaud: they've now lost five in a row.
Despite the defeat, Pinewood Prep saw an underclassman step up: Tripp Eidson scored eight points along with ten rebounds and three blocks. Eidson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jones, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Ashley Ridge had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They came out on top against Fort Dorchester by a score of 52-45.
Ashley Ridge's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Javion Gathers led the charge by scoring 11 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Jordan Davis was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Pinewood Prep has been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 15-8 record this season. As for Ashley Ridge, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-7.
Monday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Pinewood Prep have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ashley Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 30.1 rebounds per game. Given Pinewood Prep's sizeable advantage in that area, Ashley Ridge will need to find a way to close that gap.
Pinewood Prep came up short against Ashley Ridge in their previous matchup back in December of 2017, falling 64-59. Will Pinewood Prep have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
