Preview: New Brockton Gamecocks vs. Straughn Tigers
New Brockton has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Straughn Tigers at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
With a playoff game on the line, New Brockton rose to the challenge on Friday. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, they made off with a 45-44 win over the Leopards.
New Brockton found their leader in underclassman Brittany Williams, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds. Williams is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games she's played. Ariana Smith was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Straughn scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They blew past Providence Christian 65-16 at home. Straughn has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 22 points or more this season.
Straughn found their leader in underclassman Allyx Williamson, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 18 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Williamson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Ora Hall, who scored 11 points along with seven assists and six steals.
New Brockton is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 18 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 20-5 record this season. As for Straughn, their victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: New Brockton have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Straughn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
New Brockton lost to Straughn on the road by a decisive 49-34 margin in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hall, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Now that New Brockton knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
