Preview: Lake View Wild Gators vs. Latta Vikings
Two dominant guards in Jaleya Ford and Shawniza Bethea are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lake View Wild Gators will be playing in front of their home fans against the Latta Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Lake View's favor as the squad sits on 16 straight wins at home while Latta has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.
In what's become a running theme this season, Lake View gave their fans yet another huge win on Friday. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 52-10 victory over Lamar. That 42 points margin sets a new team best for Lake View this season.
Lake View had a senior duo take command as Gwendasia Page dropped a double-double on 13 points and 16 steals and Ford scored 21 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Page is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Zy'Kiara Waters, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Latta suffered their biggest defeat since December 14, 2023 on Tuesday. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 55-29 walloping at the hands of East Clarendon. Latta was down 41-21 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
The losing side was boosted by Bethea, who scored ten points along with two steals. That was a full 34.5% of Latta's points, marking the eighth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Latta struggled to work together and finished the game with only an assist. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Lake View's win bumped their record up to 16-4. As for Latta, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lake View have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Latta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Lake View against Latta in their previous meeting on January 10th as the team secured a 63-36 victory. With Lake View ahead 38-15 at the half, the match was all but over already.
