Basketball Recap: Laurel Beats Heidelberg for Their 18th Straight Win

Golden Tornadoes

Previous Games

01/20/25 vs Heidelberg	59-45
01/17/25 vs Gautier	56-7
01/14/25 vs Vancleave	69-18
01/09/25 @ Vancleave	64-11
01/07/25 vs Wayne County	48-36
+ 13 more games

Laurel had already won 17 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29.1 points) and they went ahead and made it 18 on Monday. They enjoyed a cozy 59-45 win over the Heidelberg Oilers. Given the Golden Tornadoes' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 13th, while the Oilers are ranked 79th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Laurel to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kayllis Walker, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 boards. Walker's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Gracelyn Carmichael was another key player, going 6 for 9 on her way to 16 points and five rebounds.

Laurel smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 28 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Laurel's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Heidelberg, the defeat snapped their winning streak at eight games and leaves them with a 19-6 record.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Laurel won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Wayne County at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Laurel knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four games -- so hopefully Wayne County likes a good challenge. As for Heidelberg, they will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on North Forrest at 6:00 p.m. on January 30th.