Palisades hasn't had much luck against South Mecklenburg recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Palisades Pumas will host the South Mecklenburg Sabres at 6:00 p.m. After both made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.
Palisades picked up another tournament win on Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Highland Tech 55-27.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Palisades to victory, but perhaps none more so than Estelle Macho, who went 6 for 15 on her way to 15 points and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Tynilla Simpkins, who posted 14 points and seven boards.
Meanwhile, South Mecklenburg came tearing into Saturday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 34 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Chiefs 61-18. The Sabres have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 20 points or more this season.
South Mecklenburg's win came from a few key players Palisades will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kaitlyn Hensley, who went 7 of 11 on her way to 15 points. She has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Chloe Cleophat was another key player, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten boards.
South Mecklenburg smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive contests.
South Mecklenburg's win bumped their record up to 12-2. As for Palisades, their victory bumped their record up to 5-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Palisades has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like South Mecklenburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Palisades suffered a grim 67-41 defeat to South Mecklenburg in their previous matchup back in February. Can Palisades avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
