Two dominant guards in Kenijah Clayton and Shakirah Edwards are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Godby Cougars's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Rutherford Rams on February 9th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Godby walked away with it. They simply couldn't be stopped on Wednesday as they easily beat the Jaguars 56-4 on the road. Given Godby's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 214th, while Gadsden County is ranked 454th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Godby's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Cristina Brown, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and five steals, and Clayton, who scored 16 points along with eight steals and five assists. Another player making a difference was Aniyah Lewis, who scored 11 points along with six steals.
Meanwhile, Rutherford came tearing into Wednesday's game with 20 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 69-19 win over Taylor County. The team ran away with 57 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those to pick up the victory.
Ka?nahla Hayes went supernova for Rutherford, dropping a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hayes has scored all season. Ayonnie Houston was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds and six steals.
Godby's victory bumped their record up to 16-9. As for Rutherford, their victory bumped their record up to 23-1.
Friday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Godby have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Rutherford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Godby was dealt a bruising 68-30 defeat at the hands of Rutherford when the teams last played back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Edwards, who scored 16 points along with eight steals and five rebounds. Now that Godby knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
