Basketball Game Preview: Belton-Honea Path Bears vs. Westside Rams

The Belton-Honea Path Bears are taking a road trip to square off against the Westside Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Belton-Honea Path has struggled recently with seven defeats in a row, while Westside will arrive with three straight victories.

Belton-Honea Path is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Greenville H on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Belton-Honea Path had to suffer through a 52-17 loss at the hands of Greenville H. The Bears were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 25-5.

Meanwhile, Westside faced Mauldin in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Westside strolled past Mauldin with points to spare, taking the game 58-39.

Westside's win came from a few key players Belton-Honea Path will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tiana Marshall, who posted nine points in addition to five assists and three steals. Marshall is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Khalia Hartwell, who had 15 points along with eight boards and five blocks.

Westside smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 15 offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Westside's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 36.5 points. As for Belton-Honea Path, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.

Belton-Honea Path took a serious blow against Westside in their previous matchup last Thursday, falling 105-18. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hartwell, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 17 rebounds. Now that Belton-Honea Path knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.