Preview: Seventy-First Falcons vs. Southern Durham Spartans
The Seventy-First Falcons will head out on the road to take on the Southern Durham Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
With a playoff game on the line, Seventy-First rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 62-42 margin over the Trojans. The victory was just what Seventy-First needed coming off of a 76-54 loss in their prior matchup.
Seventy-First found their leader in underclassman Kariana Williams, who scored 16 points along with three steals. Williams hasn't dropped below two steals for seven straight games. Mariyah Massey was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with two blocks.
Meanwhile, Southern Durham came tearing into Tuesday's match with 15 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 35.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Southern Alamance 73-39 at home. Southern Durham has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 17 matchups by 23 points or more this season.
Southern Durham's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jakayla Palmer, who scored 18 points along with seven assists and three steals, and Briana Hughes, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine assists. It was the first time this season that Hughes posted eight or more assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashlyn Hudson, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Seventy-First now has a winning record of 14-13. As for Southern Durham, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 17 of their last 18 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 23-5 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Seventy-First have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Southern Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 42.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
