Edward Glover knows he will get phone calls tomorrow. Most of those calls will be to inquire if Glover's Voorhees Lady Tigers basketball team was able to beat the Claflin girls in tonight's game, which is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m.

Voorhees versus Claflin is a natural rivalry simply because the two schools are about 30 minutes apart, but for Glover it's bigger because he is a 1993 graduate of Claflin. He also began his coaching career as an assistant with the Panthers boys' basketball team in 1995. So, when the phone rings and the question is asked, Glover would like to be able to respond with a "Yes."

"When I lose, I do get it," the Voorhees girls' head coach said. "People are going to be calling me, and they are all going to want to know what happened in the game. The Claflin game is just different for me because I know almost everyone over there. It's definitely a good win for me when we get it."

Claflin girls' head coach Miriam Walker-Samuels isn't playing this year's game up quite as much as Glover is. She attended Claflin with Glover, and she doesn't want to lose, but heading into tonight Walker-Samuels seemed less focused on the rivalry than on getting her young team playing the way she wants it too.

"We have a lot of new girls, and I try not to put that added pressure on them," she said. "You try not to let them know what this game truly means in a sense, but we have two veterans on this team who have told the girls how much it would mean to them to beat Voorhees one more time.

"In the end, this will probably be very heated and upbeat," she continued. "I just hope it ends in a Claflin victory."

Voorhees (9-6) enters tonight's game coming off a 68-51 win over Bennett College on Tuesday. Claflin (6-12) shot just 22 percent from the field in a 51-38 loss to Central State Monday.

"Right now, we are kind of desperate for a win," said Walker-Samuels. "We have lost some close ones, and then to lose to Central State the way we did wasn't pretty. Nothing would fall for us. I have never seen the girls play that poorly."

Glover said he will try to turn the game into a fullcourt, uptempo affair, and with good reason. Voorhees has 15 players on the roster, and the Pantherettes have just eight. Glover said he hopes that will be an advantage for his team, and it's why Walker-Samuels said she doesn't want her team to let Voorhees dictate the pace of the game.

"Coach Glover will throw anything at you in a moment's notice," she said. "So, we have to be prepared for anything, but we are not trying to get into a running game. If we do that and pick up some fouls, it can turn into a numbers game, and we don't want that to happen."

Voorhees is led by a trio of seniors who were selected to the T&D's All-Area team a year ago. Guard/forward Tammy Harbin, the reigning EIAC MVP, is leading the team with 17 points per game while Antinesha Wyatt is averaging 10 a game and LaShonda Abner, nine. Also, sophomore guard Rhadja Page is scoring nine a game off the bench for Voorhees.

For Claflin, junior center Jayshaun Bailey is averaging 15 points per game, and freshman guard Ashley Sorrell-Gibson is averaging 12 a game.

"I've seen Claflin play a couple of times, and I think we should match up well against them," Glover said. "They are quick, and that could cause us some problems, but I think we are going to have a little bit of a height advantage on them. It's just that whenever you play at their pace, it is always going to be tough. And, they always play well at home."

The two teams split a season ago, but Glover is looking to take both games this season. Tonight, his Lady Tigers could take a major step in doing so. A win at Claflin, according to Glover, would set Voorhees up nicely heading into the two teams' rematch in Denmark on Feb. 12.

"You really want to win these games because you know the student body is going to be out there, and there is going to be a lot of alumni there," he said. "It's probably going to be a little crowded for a women's college game, and if the guys were playing after us it would definitely be a packed house.

"When they come to our place, that game will be a doubleheader with the guys playing after us," he added. "So, our gym is going to be packed. If we can beat them there that puts us in good position for when they come to us."

T&D Sports Writer Brian Linder can be reached by e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Discuss this and other stories online at TheT&D.com.

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