Basketball Game Preview: North Lenoir Hawks vs. Southwest Onslow Stallions

The North Lenoir Hawks will venture away from home to square off against the Southwest Onslow Stallions at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Last Friday, North Lenoir was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 51-46 to Ayden - Grifton. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Southwest Onslow came tearing into last Saturday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 68-57 win over the Wildcats. Given the Stallions' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Wildcats are ranked 226th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Southwest Onslow's win came from a few key players North Lenoir will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Quaydon Holder, who posted 14 points along with seven rebounds and six steals. That's the most points he has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Malekhi Hutchinson, who went 5 of 6 en route to 17 points and seven boards.

Southwest Onslow was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Eastern Randolph only racked up nine assists.

North Lenoir's defeat dropped their record down to 4-12. As for Southwest Onslow, their record now sits at 13-2.

North Lenoir suffered a grim 72-52 defeat to Southwest Onslow in their previous matchup on January 7th. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point North Lenoir was down 41-21.