With a playoff game on the line, the Forest Wildcats rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They blew past the Gators 61-35. The victory was familiar territory for Forest who now have six in a row.
Forest's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Taleah Jones, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. Jones is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Ja'Niyah McCoy, who scored 19 points along with two steals.
Forest's lineup was just a bit different on Wednesday as Olivia Johns got a bit more time on the court (28 vs. her season average of 14.58). Johns made the most of the opportunity, dropping a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. A few more games like that and she might be seeing even more time going forward.
When it comes to explaining why Land O' Lakes lost, one person who can't be blamed is Lily Meier. Despite the final result, she scored 19 points. That was a full 54.3% of Land O' Lakes' points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Forest is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-10 record this season. As for Land O' Lakes, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 11-9.
Forest will head out on the road to square off against Springstead at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Springstead will roll in looking for their 18th straight victory, something Forest surely won't give up without a fight. Land O' Lakes does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
