The Bell Bulldogs will take on the Hawthorne Hornets at TBD on Wednesday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
With a playoff game on the line, Bell rose to the challenge on Monday. They secured a 35-30 W over the Fightin' Tigers. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Bell.
Maddie Smith continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 16 points along with three steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Bell's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Dacy Graham, who scored six points along with 18 rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Hawthorne entered their tilt with the Indians with 12 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 13. Hawthorne claimed a resounding 67-33 win over the Indians at home. Hawthorne has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 22 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hawthorne to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jhalea Jackson, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. Jackson hasn't dropped below two steals for nine straight games. Ranicia Coleman was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Bell's victory bumped their record up to 8-12. As for Hawthorne, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bell have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hawthorne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bell came up short against the Hornets in their previous matchup back in December of 2016, falling 33-28. Can Bell avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
