Basketball Game Preview: Warhill Lions vs. Lafayette Rams

Warhill and Lafayette are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Warhill Lions will square off against the Lafayette Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Warhill took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Bruton 62-35. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 31-8.

Warhill's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lainey Gray led the charge by going 8 of 14 en route to 18 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Gray is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Taleah James, who went 6 for 9 on her way to 12 points in addition to five assists and five boards.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lafayette). They took their match on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 60-26 win over New Kent. Given the Rams' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 117th, while the Trojans are ranked 278th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Warhill pushed their record up to 6-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 26 points. As for Lafayette, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season.

Warhill suffered a grim 55-32 defeat to Lafayette in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Can Warhill avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.