Preview: Westover Patriots vs. Shaw Raiders
The Westover Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Shaw Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Westover focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 13 on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Westover came up short against Monroe and fell 61-48. Westover has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jada Landers put forth a good effort for the losing side as she dropped a double-double on 21 points and 16 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Wykieria Holmes, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Shaw posted their biggest win since December 8, 2023 on Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Cairo 53-25 on the road. Given Shaw's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 210th, while Cairo is ranked 422nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Shaw to victory, but perhaps none more so than Tiara Tucker, who scored 23 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Tucker has scored at least a third of Shaw's points. Quishyi Walcott was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Westover has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10 record this season. As for Shaw, their win bumped their record up to 11-7.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Westover have been dynamite from deep this season, having only made 30.5% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Shaw, though, as they've only made 31.2% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Westover against Shaw when the teams last played back in February of 2023 as the team secured a 54-22 win. Will Westover repeat their success, or does Shaw have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
