The Overbrook Panthers will venture away from home to challenge Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Overbrook is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 94-70 margin over Motivation on Friday. The Panthers have beaten the Jaguars the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Jaguars has come to flipping the script.
Jalen Holmes
| 01/28/25 @ Samuel Fels | 10 |
| 02/07/25 vs Motivation | 8 |
| 12/10/24 @ Audenried | 4 |
| 12/28/24 vs Varsity Opponent | 3 |
| 12/20/24 vs Philadelphia Electric Charter | 3 |
| + 8 more games |
Overbrook got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jalen Holmes out in front who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds. Holmes also grabbed eight steals, which is notable because Overbrook is 4-2 when he posts at least three steals, but 5-10 otherwise. Hamza Swaray was another key player, going 7 of 16 on his way to 19 points and three steals.
Overbrook smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Motivation only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.
Meanwhile, Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Warriors as they made off with a 90-66 victory. Given Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 165th, while Franklin Towne is ranked 483rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Overbrook better keep an eye on Makaii Akridge. He was instrumental in Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech's win, going 21 for 31 to rack up 46 points and four steals. Akridge's afternoon made it ten games in a row in which he has scored at least 17 points. Another player making a difference was Jarrell Little, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 assists.
Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech pushed their record up to 13-10 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points over those games. As for Overbrook, their record is now 9-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Overbrook has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Overbrook might still be hurting after the 73-50 loss they got from Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech in their previous meeting back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Little, who went 7 of 16 en route to 21 points and six assists. Now that Overbrook knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
