Preview: Hoke County Bucks vs. Union Pines Vikings
The Hoke County Bucks will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Union Pines Vikings at 7:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Tuesday, Hoke County came up short against Southern Lee and fell 61-53. Hoke County has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, Hoke County saw an underclassman step up: Darius Breeden scored 15 points. It was the first time this season that Breeden scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Jaylen Sturdivant, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, Union Pines pushed their score all the way to 64 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were dealt a 102-64 loss at the hands of Richmond. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Friday (60), Union Pines still had to take the loss.
Despite the defeat, Union Pines saw an underclassman step up: Kingsley Donaldson scored 15 points along with eight rebounds. Jaylen Kyle was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with two steals.
Hoke County's loss dropped their record down to 13-8. As for Union Pines, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-10 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hoke County have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Union Pines struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Hoke County against Union Pines in their previous meeting back in January as the team secured a 82-55 win. Does Hoke County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Union Pines turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
