Basketball Recap: North Brunswick Scorpions vs. Ashley Screaming Eagle
Even though the North Brunswick Scorpions have not done well against the Ashley Screaming Eagle recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. North Brunswick enjoyed a cozy 67-53 victory over the Screaming Eagle. Given North Brunswick's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 94th, while the Screaming Eagle are ranked 336th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
North Brunswick's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Caleb Bernard, who scored 20 points along with four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bernard has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Terry Hood, who scored 12 points along with six assists and five steals.
Despite the loss, Ashley still got an impressive performance from Quinn Bentley, who scored 18 points along with three steals. That was a full 34% of Ashley's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Keyon Jones was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds and two steals.
Ashley struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as North Brunswick pulled down 14 offensive rebounds.
North Brunswick pushed their record up to 13-3 with that victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.2 points per game. As for Ashley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season.
North Brunswick will head out on the road to challenge the Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Laney is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games. As for Ashley, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Pirates at 8:00 p.m. Topsail is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 51.9 points per game this season.
