Preview: Swink Lions vs. Las Animas Trojans
Swink is 9-1 against Las Animas since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Swink Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Las Animas Trojans at 4:00 p.m. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Swink struggled with assists on Saturday (Fowler had 16 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Swink was beaten by Fowler 60-31. Swink has struggled against Fowler recently, as their matchup on Saturday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Briana McElroy, who scored 12 points along with three steals. She hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. Hunter Wallace was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five steals.
Las Animas has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell 40-31 to Cheraw on Tuesday.
Like Swink, Las Animas lost despite seeing results from several players. Ava LaBarge led the charge by scoring six points along with six assists and two steals. Another player making a difference was Chanel LaBarge, who scored nine points.
Swink's defeat dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Las Animas, their defeat ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 11-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Swink have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Las Animas struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Swink came up short against Las Animas when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 41-35. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Las Animas' Jadann Eck, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Now that Swink knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
