Basketball Game Preview: Eastern Wayne Warriors vs. North Johnston Panthers

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Previous Games

02/21/24 - Home	39-45 L
02/13/24 - Away	39-32 W
01/26/24 - Home	49-20 W
02/15/23 - Home	34-32 W
02/07/23 - Home	43-36 W
+ 3 more games

Eastern Wayne is 7-1 against North Johnston since February of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Eastern Wayne Warriors will venture away from home to square off against the North Johnston Panthers at 6:00 p.m.

Last Friday, Eastern Wayne was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 55-49 to Spring Creek.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Ariana Harvey, who went 5 for 9 en route to 11 points and seven boards. Taleia Claude was another key player, putting up 13 points.

Meanwhile, North Johnston put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Beddingfield as North Johnston made off with a 44-20 win. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 20 points or more this season.

Eastern Wayne better keep an eye on Camden Ford. She was instrumental in North Johnston's win, almost dropping a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds. Another player making a difference was Samantha Boswell, who posted two points in addition to eight boards and four steals.

North Johnston was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

North Johnston's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-0. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 23.6 points per game. As for Eastern Wayne, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.

Eastern Wayne came up short against North Johnston in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 45-39. Can Eastern Wayne avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.