The Southridge Spartans's three-game losing streak came to an end on Wednesday. They walked away with a 58-46 win over Norland. Given Southridge's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 31st, while Norland is ranked 193rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shanaii Gamble continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds. She hasn't dropped below two steals for ten straight games. Another player making a difference was Dianka Hardisson, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Defeat or not, Norland got some senior leadership from Shania Swan who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds and Jasmine Johnson who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds. That was a full 39.1% of Norland's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Myah Newton was another key contributor, scoring five points along with 11 rebounds.
Southridge's victory bumped their record up to 10-3. As for Norland, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost nine of their last 11 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Southridge won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Sports Leadership & Management at 7:30 p.m. on January 11th. As for Norland, they will head out on the road to face off against Lakewood at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Lakewood's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Norland has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
