The Laurel Golden Tornadoes will face off against the North Pike Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Laurel is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past Brookhaven to the tune of 57-27. The victory was familiar territory for the Golden Tornadoes, who have now won 25 matchups in a row.
Kayllis Walker
| 02/14/25 vs Brookhaven | 19 |
| 02/07/25 vs Wayne County | 21 |
| 02/06/25 vs East Central | 22 |
| 01/30/25 @ Stone | 15 |
| 01/29/25 vs East Central | 19 |
Laurel's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kayllis Walker, who went 6-for-15 on her way to 19 points and six rebounds. Walker's evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Zy Evans, who posted 11 points and four steals.
Laurel smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in 35 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for North Pike, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They claimed a resounding 54-7 win over Gautier. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 39-4.
North Pike's win came from a few key players Laurel will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kadence Thompson, who scored 11 points in addition to five boards and three steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kadence Jordan, who earned ten points.
Laurel's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 30-1. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 25.0 points over those games. As for North Pike, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Laurel has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Pike struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Laurel against North Pike in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 60-23 win. In that game, Laurel amassed a halftime lead of 41-9, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
