The Hammond Skyhawks are on the road again on Tuesday and plays the Cardinal Newman Cardinals at 6:15 p.m. on February 6th. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Hammond was able to grind out a solid win over the Lions, taking the game 50-37. Given Hammond's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 25th in South Carolina, while the Lions are ranked 92nd in Georgia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They put the hurt on Ben Lippen with a sharp 70-44 victory. That looming 70-44 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Cardinal Newman yet this season.
Cardinal Newman's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Teonna Draughn led the charge by scoring 31 points along with seven assists and six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Draughn has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Zaria Thompson, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Hammond has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-4 record this season. As for Cardinal Newman, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-13.
Everything came up roses for Hammond against the Cardinals in their previous meeting back in January as the team secured a 61-32 victory. With Hammond ahead 41-20 at the half, the match was all but over already.
