Two dominant guards in Lia Carter and Shaniya Paylor are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Jordan-Matthews Jets will head out on the road to take on the Southeast Alamance Stallions at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Jordan-Matthews will be strutting in after a win while the Stallions will be coming in after a loss.
Jordan-Matthews was handed a 43-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against the Mustangs on Tuesday. Jordan-Matthews sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 47-45 victory over the Mustangs. The victory was just what Jordan-Matthews needed coming off of a 61-18 defeat in their prior matchup.
Jordan-Matthews' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Carter, who scored 17 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Carter has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Patience Cox was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 61 points the game before, Southeast Alamance were a bit more limited in their game on Wednesday. They were beaten by Western Alamance 55-20. Southeast Alamance was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 44-4.
Despite the loss, Southeast Alamance saw an underclassman step up: Paylor scored 12 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Inysia McIver, who scored six points along with nine rebounds.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Southeast Alamance struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Jordan-Matthews' win bumped their record up to 8-10. As for Southeast Alamance, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Jordan-Matthews have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Southeast Alamance struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Jordan-Matthews took a serious blow against the Stallions in their previous matchup back in January, falling 53-20. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Paylor, who scored 11 points along with five assists and five steals. Now that Jordan-Matthews knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
