Dixie has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Whitmire Wolverines at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Last Tuesday, it was a hard-fought game, but Dixie had to settle for a 33-31 defeat against the Blue Flashes. Dixie has struggled against the Blue Flashes recently, as their game on Tuesday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
The match pitted two key players against one another: Jaylia Turner and Autumn Thomas. Thomas had a great game and scored 21 points along with three steals. Meanwhile, Turner did her best for the losing side, scoring nine points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Whitmire's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They lost to Ware Shoals at home by a decisive 36-22 margin.
Despite their loss, Whitmire saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Trystan Samples, who scored five points along with five rebounds and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Samples is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last four games she's played. Brooklynn Babb was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Dixie's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-10. As for Whitmire, their loss was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-16.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Dixie have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Whitmire, though, as they've been averaging only 12.9 rebounds per game. Given Dixie's sizable advantage in that area, the Wolverines will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything went Dixie's way against the Wolverines when the teams last played back in January as the Hornets made off with a 53-29 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Dixie since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
