Basketball Game Preview: Hickory Hornets vs. Farrell Steelers

The Hickory Hornets will take on the Farrell Steelers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Hickory is returning to their home court after beating Mercer on theirs, despite the fact Mercer has dominated at home this season. Hickory was the clear victor by a 68-47 margin over Mercer on Tuesday. The Hornets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Farrell fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Cleveland Heights on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Tigers 68-63. While losing is never fun, the Steelers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 343rd in Pennsylvania, while the Tigers are ranked 58th in Ohio).

Hickory will need focus on slowing down Julius Phillips Jr, one of several Farrell players who made an impact when they last played. He went 7 for 8 en route to 18 points along with six boards and three steals. Juelz Johnson was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten rebounds and 16 assists.

Even though they lost, Farrell was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.

Farrell has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season. As for Hickory, their victory bumped their record up to 8-3.

Hickory didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Farrell in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 61-57 win. Will Hickory repeat their success, or does Farrell have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.