Preview: Garner Trojans vs. South Garner Titans
Garner is 10-0 against South Garner since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Garner Trojans will head out on the road to face off against the South Garner Titans at 5:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
This season hasn't been kind to Garner, who are still winless after their fourth match. They were dealt a 91-55 loss at the hands of Middle Creek on Thursday. While losing is never fun, Garner can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 484th, while Middle Creek is ranked 215th).
Garner's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Sumayah Jones, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Olivia Jacobs who scored 20 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. Jacobs scored a full 36.4% of Garner's points, the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Tyasiah Holder, who scored ten points.
Even though South Garner has not done well against Knightdale recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. South Garner blew past Knightdale 59-38. The victory made it back-to-back wins for South Garner.
South Garner's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tamia Darden led the charge by scoring 20 points along with eight rebounds. Those 20 points set a new season-high mark for Darden. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Moore, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Garner's loss dropped their record down to 0-4. As for South Garner, they pushed their record up to 4-1 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Garner have been dynamite from deep this season, having only made 31.8% of their threes per game. It's a different story for South Garner, though, as they've only nailed 33% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Garner took their victory against South Garner when the teams last played back in January by a conclusive 59-33. Will Garner repeat their success, or does South Garner have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
