Basketball Game Preview: Latta Vikings vs. Johnsonville Flashes

Latta is 8-1 against Johnsonville since December of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Latta Vikings will face off against the Johnsonville Flashes at 6:15 p.m. Latta knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Johnsonville likes a good challenge.

Last Friday, everything came up roses for Latta against Green Sea Floyds as the squad secured a 58-24 victory. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 26 points or more this season.

Jeziyah Page

Steals (Career)

01/17/25 vs Green Sea Floyds	7
11/30/23 vs Aynor	6
01/03/24 vs Mullins	5
01/30/24 @ Hannah-Pamplico	5
01/07/25 @ Hemingway	5

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Latta to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jeziyah Page, who went 8 of 14 on her way to 18 points in addition to seven steals and five assists. Those seven steals gave Page a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaliya Herman, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten assists.

Page wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Latta was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's a new trend for Latta: they were averaging 0 assists per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 8.1.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Johnsonville, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They blew past Hemingway 52-15 on Friday. The Flashes' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Latta is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.5 points per game. As for Johnsonville, their win ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-6.

Everything came up roses for Latta against Johnsonville when the teams last played last Tuesday, as the team secured a 73-18 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Latta since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.