Basketball Recap: North Lincoln Beats Hickory for Their 17th Straight Victory

North Lincoln came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with 16 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They managed a 68-62 win over the Hickory Red Tornadoes. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 42nd, while the Red Tornadoes are ranked 364th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

North Lincoln's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ally Smith led the charge by going 11 for 14 on her way to 30 points. The contest was Smith's 16th in a row with at least ten points. Hailey Hagler was another key player, dropping a double-double on 17 points and ten boards.

North Lincoln smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

North Lincoln pushed their record up to 17-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 34.3 points. As for Hickory, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-11.

North Lincoln has already played their next matchup, a 73-58 win against North Iredell on the 31st. As for Hickory, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 63-34 defeat against Alexander Central on the 30th.