Preview: Hammond Golden Bears vs. Long Reach Lightning
Hammond has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Long Reach Lightning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hammond stacked an eighth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Centennial 52-18 at home. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Hammond has posted since December 15, 2023.
Nia Green was her usual excellent self, scoring 22 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Hammond's points. Asia Mitchell was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Long Reach's ten-game losing streak came to an end on Friday. They walked away with a 43-30 win over Marriotts Ridge.
Hammond's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 29.55 points. As for Long Reach, their win bumped their record up to 2-10.
Everything came up roses for Hammond against Long Reach when the teams last played back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 54-20 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hammond since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
