Basketball Game Preview: Williams Bulldogs vs. Orange Panthers

The Williams Bulldogs will square off against the Orange Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Williams is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.2 points per game this season.

Williams is headed into Friday's game hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight losses. They took a 46-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lexington on Saturday.

The losing side was boosted by Mi'Keina Springfield, who went 6 of 13 on her way to 15 points in addition to six boards and six steals. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Ry'Leigh Surles, who posted six points.

Meanwhile, Orange came into Monday's match having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They really took it to Northeast Guilford for the full four quarters, racking up a 60-28 win. That looming 60-28 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Panthers yet this season.

Orange's win came from a few key players Williams will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Evelyn George, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Maura Mcmurtry, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 14 points.

Orange smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Williams' defeat dropped their record down to 7-3. As for Orange, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Williams has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Orange struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Williams might still be hurting after the 62-41 loss they got from Orange in their previous meeting back in February. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of George, who went 6 of 10 on her way to 22 points and eight rebounds. Now that Williams knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.