Monacan is 10-0 against Clover Hill since February of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Monacan Chiefs on the road again and play against the Clover Hill Cavaliers at 7:15 p.m. on January 16th. Monacan has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Monacan stacked a sixth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They blew past Richmond City School of the Arts 63-24 on the road. Given Monacan's advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 24th, while Richmond City School of the Arts is ranked 323rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Monacan relied on the efforts of Layla Ellett, who scored eight points along with nine rebounds and two steals, and Junithia Seay, who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. That's the first time this season that Seay pulled down eight or more rebounds. Autumn Smith was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five rebounds.
Clover Hill suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Thursday. They had to suffer through a rough 64-7 loss at the hands of Manchester. Clover Hill has struggled against Manchester recently, as their game on Thursday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Clover Hill struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only an offensive rebound. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Monacan's victory was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.5 points per game. As for Clover Hill, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-8 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's matchup: Monacan have been dynamite from deep this season, having only made 34.3% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Clover Hill, though, as they've only made 23.6% of their threes per game this season. Given Monacan's sizeable advantage in that area, Clover Hill will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Monacan against Clover Hill when the teams last played back in November of 2023 as the team secured a 73-16 victory. With Monacan ahead 44-8 at the half, the game was all but over already.
