Basketball Game Preview: Maiden Blue Devils vs. Lincolnton Wolves

The Maiden Blue Devils will challenge the Lincolnton Wolves at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Maiden's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Last Tuesday, Maiden beat Newton-Conover 79-68. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 101st, while the Red Devils are ranked 286th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Lincolnton waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Trojans by a score of 84-72.

Maiden's win was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 86.6 points over those games. As for Lincolnton, their victory bumped their record up to 21-5.

Maiden beat Lincolnton 103-96 in their previous matchup last Tuesday. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lincolnton's LJ Smith IV, who dropped a double-double with 47 points and 13 rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Maiden still be able to contain Smith IV? There's only one way to find out.