Basketball Game Preview: Latta Vikings vs. Military Magnet Academy Eagles

The Latta Vikings will venture away from home to challenge the Military Magnet Academy Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Latta is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They put the hurt on Ridgeland Secondary Academy Of Excellence with a sharp 64-43 victory. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 99th, while the Jaguars are ranked 215th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Kaliya Herman

Points

02/20/25 vs Ridgeland Secondary Academy Of Excellence	30
02/18/25 vs Cross	18
02/12/25 @ Carvers Bay	16
02/10/25 vs Hemingway	27
02/07/25 @ Hannah-Pamplico	25

It was another big night for Kaliya Herman, who posted 30 points. Her evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Kardae Mcfadden, who put up ten points.

Meanwhile, Military Magnet Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 90 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Red Raiders 107-60. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Eagles had established a 33 point advantage.

Military Magnet Academy's win came from a few key players Latta will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Danariyah Williams, who dropped a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. That's the most boards she has posted since back in December of 2024. Sabri Mitchell was another key player, going 5-for-12 to rack up 17 points along with six assists and six rebounds.

Military Magnet Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 29 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive games.

Military Magnet Academy pushed their record up to 23-5 with the win, which was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.5 points over those games. As for Latta, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season.

Latta took a serious blow against Military Magnet Academy in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 60-18. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Latta was down 39-11.