It was a good run, but the Laurens Raiders unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a hard 61-44 fall against Fountain Inn. Laurens lost against Fountain Inn in their previous head to head last Monday, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 40-24 score last time.
Several Raiders players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Nyri Allen, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds. Those 12 points set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Ta'liyah Ballard, who scored five points along with 12 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Laurens were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fountain Inn only pulled down ten offensive rebounds.
Fountain Inn's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Zipora Sullivan led the charge by scoring 19 points along with three steals. That's the first time this season that Sullivan scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Aniya Brown, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds.
Laurens' loss dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Fountain Inn, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season.
Laurens will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Greenwood at 6:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024. Greenwood will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive. Fountain Inn will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Hillcrest at 7:30 p.m. on January 2, 2024. Hillcrest is coming into the match on a six-game losing streak.
