Basketball Recap: Croatan Finds Playoff Glory Versus West Carteret

It's playoff time, and Croatan had no trouble coming through when it counted. They strolled past the West Carteret Patriots with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 60-41. The Cougars have beaten the Patriots the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Patriots has come to flipping the script.

Croatan got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Neely McMannen out in front who shot 46% from the field to rack up 19 points. McMannen is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in each of the last five games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Leah Johnson, who went 5-for-8 on her way to 13 points and three steals.

West Carteret lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Maddie Steidl, who posted ten points. Those ten points gave her a new career-high. Ella Holmes was another key player, putting up nine points.

Cougars

Previous Games (Home)

02/25/25 vs West Carteret	60-41
02/21/25 vs West Carteret	51-42
02/11/25 vs Richlands	66-25
02/05/25 vs Dixon	54-21
02/04/25 vs Swansboro	50-28
+ 5 more games

Croatan's victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-1. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.6 points over those games. As for West Carteret, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 13-11.

Croatan has already played their next match, a 58-30 defeat against Seventy-First on the 28th. West Carteret does not have any more games scheduled as of now.