Basketball Preview: Westover Patriots vs. Shaw Raiders
Westover has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They and the Shaw Raiders will face off at 6:00 p.m. on February 9th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Georgia (Westover is ranked 194th, while the Raiders are ranked 219th).
Last Saturday, Westover was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 38-33 to the Greenwave.
Despite their defeat, Westover saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jada Landers, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Landers is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydney Donaldson, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the match if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Shaw's strategy against the Syrupmakers 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 victory was just what Shaw needed coming off of a 67-26 loss in their prior game.
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.
Westover has 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. As for Shaw, their win bumped their record up to 13-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Westover have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Shaw struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Westover's way against the Raiders in their previous meeting back in January as the Patriots made off with a 68-47 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Tucker, who scored 26 points along with eight rebounds and eight steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Westover still be able to contain Tucker? There's only one way to find out.
