Basketball Preview: Shaw Raiders vs. Westover Patriots
The Shaw Raiders and the Westover Patriots will face off at 6:00 p.m. on February 9th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Westover took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Shaw, who comes in off a win.
A well-balanced attack led Shaw over the Syrupmakers in every quarter on their way to victory on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Shaw blew the Syrupmakers out of the water with a 77-26 final score. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 48-16.
Tiara Tucker continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, shooting 4-for-7 from downtown and dropping a double-double on 36 points and 15 steals. Another player making a difference was Quishyi Walcott, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten steals.
Meanwhile, Westover was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 38-33 to the Greenwave.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jada Landers, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydney Donaldson, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Shaw's victory bumped their record up to 13-10. As for Westover, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-14 record this season.
Friday's contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Shaw have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Westover struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Shaw might still be hurting after the 68-47 defeat they got from the Patriots when the teams last played back in January. Can Shaw avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
