The Williamsburg Blue Pirates will take on the Everett Warriors at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Williamsburg comes in on 17 and Everett on seven.
In what's become a running theme this season, Williamsburg gave their fans yet another huge win on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 67-41 margin over Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy.
Williamsburg's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Ayla Hileman, who scored 22 points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Levada Gorsuch, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 13 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gorsuch has scored all season. Laney Prough was another key contributor, scoring six points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 13 to 5 on the offensive boards, a fact Everett proved on Thursday. They walked away with a 48-39 win over Tussey Mountain.
Cloe Price was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Everett's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jade Colledge, who scored 11 points.
Williamsburg pushed their record up to 21-1 with that win, which was their eighth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.4 points per game. As for Everett, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Williamsburg have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Everett struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Williamsburg was able to grind out a solid victory over Everett in their previous meeting back in February of 2022, winning 51-39. Will Williamsburg repeat their success, or does Everett have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.