The Madison Patriots will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Owen Warhorses at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Tuesday, Madison was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 67-63 to Avery County. Madison has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, Madison saw an underclassman step up: Gavin Gault scored 29 points along with three steals. That was a full 46% of Madison's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jason Eighmey, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Owen posted their closest win since January 12th on Friday. They skirted past Avery County 75-72.
Eli Lewkowicz and Asante Martin were among the main playmakers for Owen as the former scored 14 points along with six assists and five rebounds and the latter scored 30 points along with seven assists. Martin continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Daxon Mason, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and four blocks.
Madison's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-12. As for Owen, their victory bumped their record up to 6-14.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Madison have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Owen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Madison came out on top in a nail-biter against Owen in their previous matchup last Wednesday, sneaking past 65-63. Will Madison repeat their success, or does Owen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
