Preview: Latta Vikings vs. Lake View Wild Gators
Two dominant guards in Shawniza Bethea and Jaleya Ford are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Latta Vikings will head out on the road to take on the Lake View Wild Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Latta is hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses.
Latta suffered their biggest defeat since December 14, 2023 on Tuesday. They suffered a rough 55-29 defeat 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.
Meanwhile, Lake View had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.6 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They really took it to Lamar for the full four quarters, racking up a 52-10 victory on the road. Lake View has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 22 points or more this season.
Lake View can attribute much of their success to Ford, who scored 21 points along with six rebounds and three steals, and Gwendasia Page, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 16 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. Another player making a difference was Zy'Kiara Waters, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Latta has been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. As for Lake View, their win bumped their record up to 16-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Latta have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lake View struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Latta took a serious blow against Lake View when the teams last played on January 10th, falling 63-36. The match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Latta was down 38-15.
