Socastee has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Carolina Forest Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Socastee has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Last Friday, Socastee lost to the Tigers at home by a decisive 52-37 margin. Socastee was down 45-24 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Princess Collins put forth a good effort for the losing side as she dropped a double-double on ten points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points she has scored all season. Bri Smith was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Carolina Forest unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. The matchup between them and Sumter wasn't particularly close, with Carolina Forest falling 52-35. Carolina Forest has struggled against the Gamecocks recently, as their contest on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Madison Hoffman, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds. She hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Ellie Yates, who scored nine points.
Carolina Forest 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.
Socastee's loss was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 5-16. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 26.2 points per game. As for Carolina Forest, their loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Socastee have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Carolina Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Socastee took a serious blow against the Panthers in their previous matchup back in January, falling 59-12. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hoffman, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine steals. Now that Socastee knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
