Walnut second round playoff preview: Lady Cats travel to Pelahatchie

Lady Wildcats on road for second round of state playoffs

How they got here

Walnut hits the road for round two after picking up a 66-51 home victory over Charleston in round one. The Lady Cats are the #2 seed from district 1-2A and have a season record of 17-13.

The opponent: Pelahatchie

Pelahatchie is 228 miles from Walnut. The Lady Chiefs are 13-13 on the season and are the #1 seed in district 4-2A. They defeated JZ George in round 1 by a score of 47-35. They outscored their district opponent 426-231 on the season.

Keys to victory

The Lady Wildcats have a tough task, as any team on the road does in the playoffs. They will need their two leading scorers, Claire Leak (19.5 ppg) and MK Vuncannon (16.9 ppg) to elevate their game. The Lady Chiefs are sure to key in on those players, so look for other players to have the opportunity to step up. Aleia Peterson, the lone senior on this club, could have a big game. Look for Laura Leigh Hughes to have several open looks from outside, as well.

Prediction

Walnut has a golden opportunity to advance into the 3rd round of the playoffs. If they play team defense and hit their shots they could very well pull out the road win and prepare for a trip to Mississippi Valley State for round 3.

Score: Walnut 49 Pelahatchie 42