The Hillside Hornets had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.5 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 71-50 margin over Southern Durham. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Hillside has posted against Southern Durham since January 18, 2020.
It was another big night for Samiyah Barker, who scored 24 points along with six rebounds and two steals. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. Madison Malone was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Despite the loss, Southern Durham saw an underclassman step up: Ashlyn Hudson dropped a double-double on 11 points and 17 rebounds. Hudson is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Briana Hughes, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Even though they lost, Southern Durham smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hillside only pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.
Hillside pushed their record up to 10-5 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Southern Durham, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-5 record this season.
Hillside will face off against Northern Durham at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Northern Durham has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 1. As for Southern Durham, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Granville Central at 6:00 p.m. Granville Central will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 562nd, while Southern Durham is ranked 154th).
