Basketball Game Preview: Laurel Golden Tornadoes vs. Wayne County War Eagles

Laurel is 8-2 against Wayne County since January of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Laurel Golden Tornadoes just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Wayne County War Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Laurel will be looking to extend their current 19-game winning streak.

Laurel is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Stone: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Laurel blew Stone out of the water with a 56-3 final score. The Golden Tornadoes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Kayllis Walker

Assists

01/27/25 vs Stone	2
12/15/23 vs Gautier	2
11/21/24 vs West Jones	2
11/19/24 @ Jefferson Davis County	2
12/07/23 @ Hattiesburg	1

Kayllis Walker was her usual excellent self, going 7 of 15 on her way to 15 points and eight rebounds. What's more, she also racked up two assists, the most she's had since back in November of 2024. Zy Evans was another key player, putting up eight points and six steals.

Laurel smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 29 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Wayne County was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Gautier 48-10. The War Eagles is also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the seven matchup they've won by 20+ points or more this season.

Laurel pushed their record up to 24-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 35.6 points. As for Wayne County, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season.

Laurel beat Wayne County 48-36 in their previous matchup on January 7th. The rematch might be a little tougher for Laurel since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.