The Leonardtown Raiders will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Westlake Wolverines at 6:30 p.m. on January 19th. Hopefully Leonardtown focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Friday.
Last Friday, things could have been worse for Leonardtown, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 59-45 loss to Chopticon.
Despite their loss, Leonardtown saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Landon Windell, who scored eight points, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Aaron Green, who scored four points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Even though they lost, Leonardtown smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Westlake posted their biggest victory yet this season on Wednesday. They really took it to Patuxent for the full four quarters, racking up a 69-41 victory on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Westlake has posted against Patuxent since February 23, 2018.
Melvin Newman was the offensive standout of the contest as he scored 13 points along with seven steals and six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Julius Johnson Jr was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds.
Leonardtown's loss dropped their record down to 6-4. As for Westlake, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Leonardtown have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Westlake, though, as they've been averaging only 35.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Leonardtown didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Westlake in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, but they still walked away with a 67-62 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Westlake's Jackson Prince, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 13 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Leonardtown to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
