Two dominant forwards in Cameron Boozer and Maddox Fowles are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Columbus Explorers are on the road again on Tuesday and plays the Western Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on February 20th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Columbus had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They took their match on the road on Thursday with ease, bagging a 92-28 win over Boca Raton. That 64 point margin sets a new team best for Columbus this season.
Boozer continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last six times he's played. Jase Richardson was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Western waltzed into their game on Thursday with six straight wins but they left with seven. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Hialeah Gardens 81-44 on the road. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Western had established a 30 point advantage.
Western's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ethan Panton-Hazell, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and two blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Stefan Frisby, who scored nine points.
Columbus' victory bumped their record up to 23-4. As for Western, they have been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 20-7 record this season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the pair are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Columbus hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 78.6 points per game. However, it's not like Western struggles in that department as they've been averaging 70.6 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Everything came up roses for Columbus against Western when the teams last played back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 66-27 win. In that match, Columbus amassed a halftime lead of 41-15, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
