Holmes has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Holmes Aces and the Gates County Red Barons will round out the year against one another at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Holmes was able to grind out a solid victory over Manteo, taking the game 39-26.
It was another big night for Ellie Spear, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least 25% of Holmes' points. Another player making a difference was Kate Foster, who scored 17 points.
Meanwhile, Gates County had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hertford County and snuck past 44-42.
Gates County's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zebriya Woodley, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds. Those ten points set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Semiyah Saunders, who scored four points along with 11 rebounds and seven steals.
Holmes now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Gates County, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Holmes have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Gates County, though, as they've been averaging only 41.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Holmes came up short against Gates County in their previous matchup last Tuesday, falling 53-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Saunders, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 18 rebounds. Now that Holmes knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.