The Lafayette Hornets and the Chiefland Indians will face off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Lafayette is coming into the match hot, having won their last five games.
Lafayette is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Hamilton County 70-27. The Hornets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 23 points or more this season.
Sophia Kendrick
| 01/30/25 vs Hamilton County | 6 |
| 01/23/24 vs Dixie County | 3 |
| 12/03/24 @ Union County | 3 |
| 01/22/24 @ Branford | 3 |
| 12/15/23 vs Branford | 2 |
Lafayette relied on the efforts of Sophia Kendrick, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 19 boards, and Kiley Beach, who went 9 for 19 on her way to 25 points and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Kendrick a new career-high in steals (six). Jada Copeland was another key player, putting up 13 points and five steals.
Lafayette smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 29 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Chiefland unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 52-29 to Hawthorne. The matchup marked the Indians' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Lafayette will need focus on slowing down Brianna Bell, one of several Chiefland players who made an impact when they last played. She posted ten points and four steals. Bell is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last 47 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Na?Zyiah Span, who put up ten points.
Lafayette has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.7 points per game. As for Chiefland, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of away wins and brought them to 18-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lafayette has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 33 boards per game. However, it's not like Chiefland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lafayette came up short against Chiefland in their previous meeting on January 10th, falling 37-27. Will Lafayette have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
