Matoaca and Hopewell are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. The Matoaca Warriors will take on the Hopewell Blue Devils at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Matoaca against Petersburg as the team secured a 66-35 win.
Matoaca found their leader in freshman Kailah Carter, who went 12 of 18 on her way to 25 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydney Richardson, who went 5 for 12 en route to 15 points and eight boards.
Meanwhile, Hopewell came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 63-9 victory over the Monarchs. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while the Monarchs are ranked 359th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Matoaca better keep an eye on Erin Edmonds HV17. She was instrumental in Hopewell's win, almost dropping a triple-double on 25 points, ten rebounds, and nine steals. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Edmonds HV17 has scored at least a third of Hopewell's points. Another player making a difference was Dionne Morris, who went 5 of 12 on her way to 10 points along with seven boards and five steals.
Hopewell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Matoaca's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-7. As for Hopewell, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Matoaca has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 26.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Hopewell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Matoaca came up short against Hopewell in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 62-51. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Edmonds HV17, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and ten boards. Now that Matoaca knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
