Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 15 to 2 on the offensive boards, a fact the Strom Thurmond Rebels proved on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 57-43 win over Pelion. Given Strom Thurmond's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 99th, while the Panthers are ranked 279th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Strom Thurmond's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but A.J. Walker led the charge by scoring 17 points along with eight rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Walker has scored all season. Quan Edmond was another key contributor, scoring 19 points along with seven rebounds.
Loss or not, Pelion got some senior leadership from Noah Pegues and Lucas New. Pegues scored 19 points along with six rebounds, while New. scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Pelion struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Strom Thurmond has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. As for Pelion, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-13.
Strom Thurmond will head out on the road to take on the Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Silver Bluff focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Friday. As for Pelion, they will be playing in front of their home fans against the Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Batesburg-Leesville is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses.
