Preview: Wildwood Wildcats vs. Hawthorne Hornets
The Wildwood Wildcats are on the road again on Friday and plays the Hawthorne Hornets at 3:00 p.m. on March 1st. One thing working in Wildwood's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last eight contests.
Wildwood had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They really took it to Trenton for the full four quarters, racking up a 66-24 win on the road. Wildwood has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 matches by 22 points or more this season.
Wildwood found their leader in underclassman Zoey Brown, who scored 14 points along with eight steals and seven assists. Brown is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Trinidy Harris was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with six assists and five steals.
Meanwhile, Hawthorne had already won 16 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.7 points), and they went ahead and made it 17 last Monday. They walked away with a 55-42 win over Madison County.
Hawthorne's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ranicia Coleman, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Coleman hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of De' Mya Adams, who scored 20 points along with three steals.
Wildwood is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-3 record this season. As for Hawthorne, their victory bumped their record up to 20-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Wildwood have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hawthorne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wildwood came up short against Hawthorne when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 42-38. Can Wildwood avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
