Basketball Game Preview: Lake Marion Gators vs. Cardinal Newman Cardinals

The Lake Marion Gators will be taking part in a tournament against the Cardinal Newman Cardinals at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Lake Marion is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.2 points per game this season.

Lake Marion will bounce into Friday's match after beating Cross, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Lake Marion claimed a resounding 81-43 victory over Cross. The Gators have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 38 points or more this season.

Lake Marion relied on the efforts of Teonna Allen, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine assists, and Zimarika Moorer, who went 9 of 14 on her way to 26 points and five steals. The dominant performance gave Allen a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Harmony McCaskill, who posted 15 points and three blocks.

Lake Marion smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in eight consecutive games dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman lost to Indian Land at home by a 49-32 margin last Monday.

Despite the loss, Cardinal Newman saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Zaria Thompson dropped a double-double on 17 points and 14 rebounds. The matchup was Thompson's third in a row with at least ten points.

Cardinal Newman's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-4. As for Lake Marion, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Lake Marion hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 56.2 points per game. It's a different story for Cardinal Newman, though, as they've been averaging only 33.7 points. The only thing between Lake Marion and another offensive beatdown is Cardinal Newman. Will they be able to keep them contained? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.