Basketball Game Preview: Croatan Cougars vs. James Kenan Tigers

The Croatan Cougars will be defending their home court for the first time this season when they go up against the James Kenan Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

Croatan is coming home looking for redemption after taking a loss in their road opener. They fell just short of Topsail by a score of 42-39 on Tuesday. While the Cougars didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Pirates 12-4 in the first quarter.

Leah Johnson

Blocked Shots

11/18/25 @ Topsail	2
02/28/25 vs Seventy-First	2
02/25/25 vs West Carteret	2
02/21/25 vs West Carteret	2
02/18/25 @ Richlands	4
+ 3 more games

Croatan's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Leah Johnson, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and ten boards, and Neely McMannen, who posted 12 points. Johnson is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in each of the last eight games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Sunny Johnson, who put up eight points.

Meanwhile, James Kenan took care of business in their home opener (and then some) on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 61-32 win over White Oak. The Tigers not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since January 31st (when they won 47-9).

James Kenan's win came from a few key players Croatan will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Aleyah Wilson, who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Those 19 points gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Y'Anna Rivers, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and ten boards.