Basketball Game Preview: East Central Hornets vs. Laurel Golden Tornadoes

East Central is 0-3 against Laurel since January of 2024 but things could change on Wednesday. Having just played yesterday, the East Central Hornets will head out on the road to face off against the Laurel Golden Tornadoes at 5:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with East Central sitting on three straight victories and Laurel on 20.

If Laurel heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when East Central took over last week. East Central walked away with a 38-29 win over Vancleave on Tuesday.

Wayne County typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Laurel proved too difficult a challenge. They were the clear victor by a 51-25 margin over the War Eagles. The Golden Tornadoes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 17 matches by 20 points or more this season.

Laurel's win came from a few key players East Central will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kayllis Walker, who posted 11 points along with six rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was Gracelyn Carmichael, who went 6 of 13 on her way to 14 points and seven boards.

Laurel smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in 30 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Laurel pushed their record up to 25-1 with the victory, which was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.2 points. As for East Central, their record now sits at 6-7.

East Central took a serious blow against Laurel when the teams last played on January 3rd, falling 63-14. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Walker, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds. Now that East Central knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.