The Essex Trojans put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They enjoyed a cozy 50-35 win over Lancaster. Given Essex's advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while Lancaster is ranked 392nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Essex's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jaylah Mercer led the charge by dropping a double-double on 22 points and 12 steals. Mercer is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Morgan Self, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Essex pushed their record up to 17-0 with that victory, which was their tenth straight on the road. As for Lancaster, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-10.
Essex will head out on the road to take on Westmoreland at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Essex focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Tuesday. As for Lancaster, they will be playing at home against Colonial Beach at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
