The Emerald Vikings will venture away from home to take on the Clinton Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, Emerald slipped by Crescent 30-29.
| 12/11/24 @ Crescent | 24 |
| 12/10/24 @ Ninety Six | 16 |
| 12/03/24 vs Clinton | 14 |
| 12/04/24 vs Crescent | 13 |
| 01/26/24 @ Woodruff | 6 |
Emerald got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Le'Asia Morgan out in front who posted eight points and 24 rebounds. Those 24 rebounds gave Morgan a new career-high. Ryonna Talbert was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.
Emerald smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Clinton waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 56-17 victory over the Yellowjackets. With that win, the Red Devils brought their scoring average up to 51 points per game.
Clinton's win came from a few key players Emerald will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kemaria Shelton, who put up ten points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of McKenzie Clark, who went 5 of 9 on her way to 10 points and seven rebounds.
Clinton pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 34.4 points. As for Emerald, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Emerald has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Clinton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Emerald lost to Clinton on the road by a decisive 43-26 margin in their previous matchup last Tuesday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Clark, who went 7 of 10 on her way to 18 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. Now that Emerald knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
