Two dominant guards in Jordan Corman and Demarius Knight are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The East Ridge Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Wildwood Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in East Ridge's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last nine matches.
On Friday, East Ridge was beaten by Lake Minneola 92-58. The defeat continues a trend for the Knights in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now lost six in a row.
Despite their loss, East Ridge saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Julian Estevaz, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 14 points, was perhaps the best of all. Estevaz continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Corman, who posted eight points along with ten rebounds and three steals.
Even though they lost, East Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Wildwood came tearing into Thursday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They really took it to the Indians for the full four quarters, racking up a 75-28 victory. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 20 points or more this season.
Wildwood's win came from a few key players East Ridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Louis Brown, who made all 10 shots he took to post 21 points and six boards. Another player making a difference was Traeston Armstrong, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
East Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 6-16. As for Wildwood, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: East Ridge has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Wildwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
East Ridge was taken down by Wildwood 77-48 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Brown, who went 9 for 15 en route to 22 points. Now that East Ridge knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
