Basketball Recap: Make It Three in a Row for Durant

Durant had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 47.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They strolled past the Gaither Cowboys with points to spare, taking the game 44-29. For the Cougars, this counts as revenge for the 48-35 victory the Cowboys walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January of 2024.

Durant's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Icyss Lopez led the charge by putting up 12 points and seven steals. Those seven steals gave Lopez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Smith, who posted nine points along with eight rebounds and four steals.

Durant smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in nine consecutive matchups.

When it comes to explaining why Gaither lost, don't look at Carolyn Emanuel. Despite the final result, she had eight points in addition to eight boards and four steals. Emanuel has been hot recently, having posted four or more steals the last three times she's played.

Durant's win bumped their record up to 13-7. As for Gaither, with the loss, they broke their four-game winning streak and moved their record to 11-11.

Durant didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 42-41 defeat against Plant on the 28th. Gaither has also already played their next game, a 38-36 victory against Middleton on the 28th.