The South Lenoir Blue Devils will challenge the Kinston Vikings at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. South Lenoir has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with seven straight losses, while Kinston will come in with three straight wins.
Last Thursday, South Lenoir was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 29-23 to North Lenoir.
| 01/16/25 vs North Lenoir | 12 |
| 01/15/25 @ Havelock | 11 |
| 01/14/25 @ East Duplin | 9 |
| 01/09/25 vs Southwest Onslow | 9 |
| 01/08/25 vs James Kenan | 9 |
Despite their defeat, South Lenoir saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tyazhia Midgett, who posted five points in addition to 12 rebounds and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Midgett has been hot, having posted nine or more boards the last five times she's played.
Meanwhile, Kinston didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Wallace-Rose Hill last Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 41-35 victory. The 41-point effort marked the Vikings' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
South Lenoir better focus on containing Aleah Hill and Nasheyla Mason as the pair were huge in Kinston's win. Hill earned 16 points and six steals, while Mason had 15 points along with five rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of America Lloyd, who put up four points and six boards.
Kinston smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive matches.
Kinston pushed their record up to 13-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for South Lenoir, their loss dropped their record down to 1-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: South Lenoir has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 28.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Kinston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
South Lenoir suffered a grim 56-30 defeat to Kinston when the teams last played on January 3rd. Will South Lenoir have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
