Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Justice Alston and AJ Manning Lead Western Harnett to Victory

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Western Harnett). They managed a 70-64 victory over the Hobbton Wildcats on Wednesday. With that win, the Eagles brought their scoring average up to 52.8 points per game.

Justice Alston

Points

12/03/25 vs Hobbton	13
11/24/25 vs Red Springs	10
11/20/25 vs Overhills	9
11/18/25 vs Triton	8

Western Harnett was led to victory by AJ Manning and Justice Alston. Manning shot 43% from the field en route to 13 points and seven boards, while Alston posted 13 points. Alston continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Aiden Shupe also deserves some recognition as he scored his first points of the season.

Western Harnett was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hobbton only posted eight.

When it comes to explaining why Hobbton lost, don't look at Richard Simpson. Despite the final result, he went 11-for-19 on his way to 26 points. Amir Tate was another key player, shooting 50% from the field to rack up 13 points.

The victory made it two in a row for Western Harnett and bumps their season record up to 2-2. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.0 points over those games. As for Hobbton, they dropped their record down to 0-2 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming contests. Western Harnett is packing up and heading out for their first away game of the season: they will challenge Red Springs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Hobbton, they will challenge Midway at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.