Preview: Central Wildcats vs. Lawrence County Red Devils
The Central Wildcats will be home for the holidays to greet the Lawrence County Red Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Tuesday, Central lost to Rogers on the road by a decisive 45-29 margin. Central has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Central's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Akeema Rivera, who scored 11 points, and Jill Huffaker who scored four points.
Central struggled to work together and finished the game with only an assist. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Lawrence County's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their fifth straight loss. They fell to Hatton 55-51. Lawrence County has not had much luck with Hatton recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Lawrence County's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ava Templeton, who scored 15 points along with six steals, and Jaala Hawkins who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. That's the first time this season that Templeton scored 15 or more points.
Central now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Lawrence County, their defeat was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 2-9.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Central have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lawrence County struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 30.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Central didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Lawrence County when the teams last played back in November, but they still walked away with a 48-44 win. Will Central repeat their success, or does Lawrence County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
