Basketball Game Preview: Neuse Charter Cougars vs. Rosewood Eagles

Neuse Charter and Rosewood are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The Neuse Charter Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Rosewood Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Neuse Charter is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.1 points per game this season.

Neuse Charter took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 72-8 win over Hobbton. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 204th, while the Wildcats are ranked 604th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Yedidia Tsolenyanu

Points

01/17/25 vs Hobbton	26
01/06/25 vs Wayne Country Day	21
01/08/25 @ Ascend Leadership	18
12/27/24 vs North Johnston	15
01/14/25 @ North Duplin	10

Neuse Charter found their leader in freshman Yedidia Tsolenyanu, who posted 26 points in addition to eight boards and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Tsolenyanu has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Lily Temple, who put up 18 points.

Meanwhile, Rosewood hadn't done well against Union recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Rosewood had just enough and edged Union out 36-33. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Eagles have posted since December 15, 2023.

Neuse Charter's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-5. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 17.3 points per game. As for Rosewood, their victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 5-7.

Neuse Charter took their win against Rosewood in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 47-23. The rematch might be a little tougher for Neuse Charter since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.