Cedar Park has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Rouse Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Cedar Park focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 11 on Friday.
Last Friday, Cedar Park was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 47-46 to the Lions.
Despite their loss, Cedar Park saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Christian Faulkner, who scored 12 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Nabil Ismail, who scored five points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Rouse entered their tilt with the Grizzlies with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. Rouse enjoyed a cozy 66-52 win over the Grizzlies on Friday. Given Rouse's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Grizzlies are ranked 149th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Jojo Moore, who shot 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and almost dropped a triple-double on 19 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 19 or more in the last four games he's played. Amarie Haywood was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Cedar Park's defeat dropped their record down to 18-12. As for Rouse, their win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 24-7.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Cedar Park have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 43.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Rouse struggles in that department as they've made 48.2% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Cedar Park came up short against the Raiders when the teams last played back in January, falling 67-54. Can Cedar Park avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
