Basketball Game Preview: Hartsville Red Foxes vs. Lake City Panthers

The Hartsville Red Foxes will head out on the road to take on the Lake City Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Hartsville's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four matches.

Hartsville will head into Saturday's game on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking two-point defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Central Academy on Saturday. Hartsville claimed a resounding 72-32 victory over Central Academy. Given the Red Foxes' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 172nd in South Carolina, while the Cougars are ranked 622nd in North Carolina), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hartsville's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jamyari Scipo-Bishop, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was EJ Smith, who went 6 of 10 en route to 15 points and eight rebounds.

Hartsville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 11 consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Lake City unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak two weeks ago. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Mullins an easy 64-39 win. The contest marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Hartsville will have to contain Devin Cockfield as he made an impact in Lake City's last game. He dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten boards. Cockfield is also crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season.

Lake City's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-3. As for Hartsville, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.

Hartsville beat Lake City 66-55 in their previous matchup on December 3rd. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hartsville since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.