Basketball Recap: Make It 12 in a Row for Laurel

Golden Tornadoes

Previous Games

12/28/24 vs Natchez	50-40
12/27/24 vs Oak Grove	50-16
12/26/24 vs Jefferson Davis County	70-46
12/20/24 @ Bay Springs	54-50
12/17/24 @ Quitman	50-40
+ 7 more games

Laurel came tearing into Saturday's matchup with 11 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Natchez Bulldogs by a score of 50-40. Given the Golden Tornadoes' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked eighth, while the Bulldogs are ranked 72nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Laurel to victory, but perhaps none more so than Zy Evans, who went 5 of 9 en route to 14 points and six steals. That's the most steals Evans has posted since back in January. Another player making a difference was Gracelyn Carmichael, who went 5 of 11 on her way to 11 points and seven steals.

Laurel smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in 22 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Loss or not, Natchez got some senior leadership from RONIYA ELLIS and CALEAH KENNEDY. ELLIS went 5 of 10 on her way to 15 points in addition to five assists and four steals, while KENNEDY posted 14 points along with seven boards and four blocks. That was a full 37.5% of Natchez's points, marking the third time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of FAITH GUTTER, who put up nine points.

Laurel's victory bumped their record up to 17-1. As for Natchez, with the defeat, they broke their five-game winning streak and moved their record to 12-5.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Laurel will challenge East Central at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Laurel is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.9 points per game this season. As for Natchez, they will square off against Florence at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.