The Midfield Patriots are taking a road trip to challenge the Wenonah Dragons at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Midfield will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Homewood, who they had gone 0-4 against in their four prior meetings. Midfield came out on top against Homewood by a score of 43-33 on Tuesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Midfield.
Midfield relied on the efforts of Kamiya Webb, who dropped a double-double with 18 points and 21 rebounds, and Lauren Stokes, who shot 58% from the field to rack up 20 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which Webb has scored at least a third of Midfield's points.
Midfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 26 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Wenonah's strategy against Bessemer City on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Dragons blew the Tigers out of the water with a 58-10 final score. The Dragons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 37 points or more this season.
Wenonah's win came from a few key players Midfield will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaliya Johnson, who dropped a double-double with 16 points and ten boards. Wenonah is undefeated when Johnson posts ten or more rebounds, but 3-4 otherwise. Zariah Evans was another key player, going 6-for-8 en route to 14 points.
Midfield's record is now 7-2. As for Wenonah, their record now sits at 6-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Midfield has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Wenonah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Midfield didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Wenonah in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 57-52 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Dragons' Samarian Franklin, who posted 23 points along with eight assists and eight boards. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for the Patriots to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
