South Garner is 0-5 against the Storm since December of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The South Garner Titans will head out on the road to take on the Willow Spring Storm at 6:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
South Garner scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They blew past Clayton 79-30 at home. Given South Garner's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 59th, while the Comets are ranked 497th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
South Garner relied on the efforts of Tamia Darden, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and five assists, and Kimaya Barnes, who dropped a triple-double on 13 points, 11 assists, and 13 steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Barnes has scored all season. Taylor Moore was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Willow Spring came tearing into Tuesday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 62-25 victory over Garner on the road.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Willow Spring to victory, but perhaps none more so than Korin Gladden, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. Another player making a difference was Zariah Burnette, who scored seven points along with nine steals and six assists.
South Garner has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. As for Willow Spring, their win bumped their record up to 17-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: South Garner have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Willow Spring struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
South Garner opened the new year with a less-than-successful 49-38 loss to the Storm. Can South Garner avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
