Preview: Topsail Pirates vs. West Brunswick Trojans
The Topsail Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the West Brunswick Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. West Brunswick took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Topsail, who comes in off a win.
Even though Topsail has not done well against Ashley recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Topsail escaped with a win against Ashley by the margin of a single free throw, 66-65. The victory was just what Topsail needed coming off of a 64-41 defeat in their prior game.
Topsail's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Rhett Britt, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Britt is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Duron Vaughn was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks.
West Brunswick suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Tuesday. They were outmatched by New Hanover on the road and fell 60-27. West Brunswick has not had much luck with New Hanover recently, as the team's come up short the last seven times they've met.
The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in K'Veon Griffin and Rodmik Allen. Allen had a solid game and scored ten points along with seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Griffin did his best for the losing side, scoring eight points.
Topsail's win bumped their record up to 5-11. As for West Brunswick, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Topsail have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like West Brunswick struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Topsail ended up a good deal behind West Brunswick in their previous meeting on January 5th, losing 64-47. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Griffin, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Now that Topsail knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
