Basketball Recap: Sumter Comes Up Short

If Sumter was riding high fresh off their 50-23 takedown of West Florence last Wednesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Sumter Gamecocks took a 54-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blythewood Bengals on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Gamecocks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 53rd, while the Bengals are ranked third).

Despite the loss, Sumter saw an underclassman step up: freshman Araina Ross dropped a double-double on 35 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ross has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Micaiah Wilson-Parrott, who posted six points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Even though they lost, Sumter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.

Blythewood's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Chase Thomas, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 17 or more in the last 16 games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of India Williams, who scored 16 points and five boards.

Sumter's defeat dropped their record down to 8-5. As for Blythewood, they pushed their record up to 18-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road.

Coincidentally, the two teams will both be playing Ridge View the next time they take the court. Sumter will head out to face Ridge View at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, while Blythewood will host them at 6:00 p.m. on January 21st.