Basketball Game Preview: Jarrell Cougars vs. Salado Eagles

Jarrell hasn't had much luck against Salado recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Jarrell Cougars will be playing at home against the Salado Eagles at 6:30 p.m. Jarrell is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.2 points per game this season.

Jarrell took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They breezed by Marble Falls to the tune of 63-24. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 282nd, while the Mustangs are ranked 1062nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Jarrell to victory, but perhaps none more so than Aniya Taylor, who went 9 for 17 on her way to 20 points along with five boards and four steals. Taylor's evening made it 13 games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Erica Taylor, who posted 13 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists.

Jarrell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Salado's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 47-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Taylor.

Jarrell has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 23-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.2 points per game. As for Salado, their loss dropped their record down to 16-12.

Jarrell strolled past Salado in their previous matchup on January 3rd by a score of 51-37. Will Jarrell repeat their success, or does Salado have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.