The Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 58.5 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Monday. They enjoyed a cozy 41-27 victory over Whale Branch. Given Bamberg-Ehrhardt's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while Whale Branch is ranked 239th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Cailyn Youmans, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds. Youmans is crushing the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Raven Brown, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds.
Despite the defeat, Whale Branch saw an underclassman step up: Zaria Coaxum scored 14 points along with five steals. That was a full 51.9% of Whale Branch's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Alyssa Fields was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt pushed their record up to 17-4 with that victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.0 points per game. As for Whale Branch, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-16.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Bamberg-Ehrhardt will take on Allendale-Fairfax at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams have allowed few points on average, (Allendale-Fairfax: 28.6, Bamberg-Ehrhardt: 25.7) so any points scored will be well earned. As for Whale Branch, they have the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Branchville at 6:30 p.m. on February 2nd. Branchville has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
