The Lake City Panthers just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Mullins Auctioneers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Monday, Lake City had just enough and edged East Clarendon out 58-56.
Lake City's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Blayne Edwards, who posted 18 points and six rebounds. A'Mari Hanna was another key player, putting up 14 points and three steals.
Lake City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Mullins two weeks ago. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Kingstree out of the water with a 67-28 final score. The Auctioneers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 contests by 22 points or more this season.
Lake City better focus on containing Dakarai Worley and Deyon Ford as the pair were huge in Mullins' win. Worley dropped a double-double on 16 points and 17 boards, while Ford went 8 of 19 on his way to 17 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. Ford has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 20 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ernest Ford, who put up 11 points and five steals.
Mullins has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-2 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 26.5 points. As for Lake City, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lake City has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mullins struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lake City suffered a grim 64-39 defeat to Mullins in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. Will Lake City have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
