Two dominant guards in Olivia Yancey and Dezariyah Clark are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Jordan Falcons will square off against the Chapel Hill Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Jordan is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Hillside: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Jordan blew Hillside out of the water with a 54-26 final score. The win was nothing new for the Falcons as they're now sitting on six straight.
| 01/24/25 vs Hillside | 17 |
| 01/20/25 @ Durham Academy | 20 |
| 01/17/25 @ Riverside-Durham | 25 |
| 01/14/25 @ East Chapel Hill | 25 |
Jordan got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Yancey out in front who went 6 for 15 on her way to 17 points and five assists. The matchup was Yancey's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Valerie-Ange Batta was another key player, going 6 of 7 en route to 12 points and eight boards.
Meanwhile, Chapel Hill entered their tilt with Hillside on Saturday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 73-38 win over the Hornets. With the Tigers ahead 42-13 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Chapel Hill's win came from a few key players Jordan will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zoe Smith, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. What's more, she also racked up three assists, the most she's had since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Clark, who went 6 for 10 on her way to 16 points in addition to seven steals and five assists.
Chapel Hill smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 31 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.
Chapel Hill pushed their record up to 15-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 23.8 points per game. As for Jordan, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season.
Jordan was dealt a bruising 52-19 loss at the hands of Chapel Hill in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Thankfully for Jordan, Laynie Smith (who went 10 of 16 en route to 20 points and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
