Preview: Bluffton Bobcats vs. May River Sharks
Bluffton is 9-1 against May River since December of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bluffton Bobcats will head out on the road to challenge the May River Sharks at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Bluffton has 17 straight wins, May River has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
James Island typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Bluffton proved too difficult a challenge. They secured a 47-43 W over the Trojans.
Bluffton relied on the efforts of Ja'laina Mosley, who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds, and Tacoya Heyward, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Heyward is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least four every time she's taken the court this season.
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 23-23 at halftime, May River was not quite Colleton County's equal in the second half on Tuesday. They fell to the Cougars 53-49.
The losing side was boosted by Ashleigh Williams, who scored ten points along with six rebounds. She is trending in the right direction, as she's improved her point production for three games straight. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooke Dalton, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Even though they lost, May River smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Colleton County only pulled down ten offensive rebounds.
Bluffton pushed their record up to 21-1 with that victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for May River, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bluffton have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like May River struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Bluffton against May River in their previous meeting back in January as the team secured a 66-25 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bluffton since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
