The Rich Rebels will head out to square off against the Tabiona Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Rich knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven contests -- so hopefully Tabiona likes a good challenge.
Last Saturday, Rich beat Farson-Eden 61-50.
Rich's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Carter Scott, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 18 points and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Drake Weston, who went 7 for 15 on his way to 23 points.
Meanwhile, Tabiona had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.5 points) and they went ahead and made it seven on Saturday. They walked away with a 60-53 win over the Miners.
Tabiona's win came from a few key players Rich will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bryson Fabrizio, who went 6 of 12 en route to 16 points. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Stran Giles, who posted 11 points.
Tabiona's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Rich, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rich has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Tabiona struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rich didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Tabiona when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 59-53 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Tabiona's Lex Giles, who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine assists. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Rich to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
