Latta and Hemingway are an even 3-3 against one another since January of 2015, but not for long. The Latta Vikings will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hemingway Tigers at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Latta will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Latta is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took down Hannah-Pamplico 64-45 on Friday. The Vikings pushed the score to 56-28 by the end of the third, a deficit the Raiders cut but never quite recovered from.
Shayon Mcgruder
| 02/07/25 @ Hannah-Pamplico | 23 |
| 02/03/25 @ Johnsonville | 15 |
| 01/31/25 @ Green Sea Floyds | 30 |
| 01/29/25 vs East Clarendon | 16 |
| 01/28/25 vs Lake View | 15 |
Latta can attribute much of their success to Shayon Mcgruder, who went 9 for 14 to rack up 23 points, and Xy'Mari Bethea, who went 9 of 13 on his way to 20 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. Mcgruder's evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Mcrae, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 20 boards.
They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Latta was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Hemingway came up short against Carvers Bay on Friday and fell 71-62.
Latta will have to contain Xavier Washington as he made an impact in Hemingway's last game. He went 8 of 10 en route to 18 points. The dominant performance also gave Washington a new career-high in shooting accuracy (80%). Jabari Pearson was another key player, putting up 12 points and five rebounds.
Latta pushed their record up to 11-11 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Hemingway, their loss dropped their record down to 5-13.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Latta has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Hemingway struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Latta came out on top in a nail-biter against Hemingway in their previous meeting back in January, sneaking past 42-39. Does Latta have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hemingway turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
