Two dominant forwards in Nimah Ibidunni and Kelly Reynolds are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Alexander Cougars and the Northview Titans, after both having extra time off, will shake off the rust and duke it out at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Alexander is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.
Alexander's tournament run continued when they took on Midtown last Tuesday. The Cougars narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Knights 38-36. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Knights are ranked 143rd) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Alexander to victory, but perhaps none more so than Isabella Italiano, who posted six points along with five rebounds and four steals. Oddyssey Murray was another key player, putting up two points and ten boards.
Alexander smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in ten consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Northview was just a bucket shy of victory last Saturday and fell 48-47 to Wheeler.
Alexander will need to focus on slowing down Tamariana Bivins, one of several Northview players who made an impact when they last played. She shot 64% from the field en route to 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Claire Mclaughlin, who went 5-for-12 on her way to 13 points and five rebounds.
Alexander's record now sits at 8-4. As for Northview, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 8-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Alexander has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Northview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Alexander took a serious blow against Northview when the teams last played back in November of 2015, falling 59-31. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
