Basketball Recap: Izeiah Oates Key Part of a Team Effort in Warriors Win

There's no place like home for Eastern Wayne, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They came out on top against the Southern Wayne Saints by a score of 86-79 on Friday. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 198th, while the Saints are ranked 522nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Eastern Wayne to victory, but perhaps none more so than Izeiah Oates, who posted 17 points and seven rebounds. Oates continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Michael Bailey was another key player, putting up 15 points and six rebounds.

Southern Wayne's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kairell Evans, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaden Hardy, who went 10 of 13 on his way to 29 points.

Eastern Wayne's win bumped their record up to 9-4. As for Southern Wayne, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-7.

When Eastern Wayne and Southern Wayne next hit the court, they'll be up against teams who recently just can't seem to lose. Eastern Wayne will try to stop West Craven's three-game winning streak when the meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Eastern Wayne is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 78.5 points per game this season. Meanwhile, Southern Wayne will try to stop Hunt's four-game winning streak when the meet at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.