After both having extra time off, the Waccamaw Warriors and the Latta Vikings will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Waccamaw's favor as the squad sits on five straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Latta has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
While Waccamaw didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hanahan last Saturday, sneaking past 51-48. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 99th, while the Hawks are ranked 214th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Waccamaw's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Sutton Cooper, who posted 18 points, and AJ Grate, who put up eight points in addition to six boards and six steals. Waccamaw is 5-1 when Grate posts three or more steals, but 2-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Connor Hart, who posted seven points in addition to six assists and six boards.
Waccamaw smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Latta had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They secured a 51-45 W over Hannah-Pamplico last Thursday.
Latta found their leader in sophomore Dezmond Bethea, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 14 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bethea has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaiah Mcrae, who had nine points and seven rebounds.
Waccamaw has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Latta, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Waccamaw has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Latta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
