The Hunt Warriors will face off against the West Johnston Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hunt is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.9 points per game this season.
Last Tuesday, it was close, but Hunt sidestepped South Johnston for a 56-54 victory.
Hunt got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Na'Sir Hines out in front who posted 11 points along with six assists and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was AJ Hampton, who went 6 for 7 on his way to 14 points and five boards.
Meanwhile, West Johnston took a blow against C.B. Aycock on Tuesday, falling 81-41. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 430th, while the Golden Falcons are ranked 209th).
Hunt will have to contain EJ Wilkins as he made an impact in West Johnston's last game. He scored ten points and three steals. Wilkins continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Jacob Dyson was another key player, putting up six points.
West Johnston's defeat was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Hunt, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hunt has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 24.8 boards per game. However, it's not like West Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hunt strolled past West Johnston in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 71-56. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hunt since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
