Basketball Preview: Spencer Greenwave vs. Southwest Patriots
The Spencer Greenwave will look to defend their home court on Monday against the Southwest Patriots at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Spencer entered their tilt with the Raiders with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. Spencer simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat the Raiders 68-30 at home. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 38-16.
Spencer got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Alexandria Berk out in front who scored 17 points along with eight assists and three steals. Berk is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 14 games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Naomi Berk, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Meanwhile, after only 21 points in their last contest, Southwest made sure to put some points up on the board against the Cherokees on Friday. Southwest took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 57-21 victory over the Cherokees.
Mohogany Tharpe was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lonnasha Graddick was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Spencer has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. As for Southwest, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Spencer have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Southwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Spencer against the Patriots in their previous matchup on Tuesday as the squad secured a 60-21 victory. With Spencer ahead 32-8 at the half, the game was all but over already.
