The Huss Huskies and the T.C. Roberson Rams will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Huss knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven matchups -- so hopefully T.C. Roberson likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Huss was able to grind out a solid win over Ashbrook, taking the game 81-68. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Huskies' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Greenwave are ranked 278th).
Jaleel Smith
| 12/12/25 vs Ashbrook | 40 |
| 12/05/25 vs Harding University | 21 |
| 12/02/25 vs Palisades | 32 |
| 11/29/25 vs Covenant Day | 16 |
| 11/28/25 vs Charlotte Latin | 21 |
| + 7 more games |
Huss can attribute much of their success to Jaleel Smith, who went 11-for-21 on his way to 40 points along with eight boards and five steals, and Zaiyir 'Zii' Phillips, who shot 53% from the field to rack up 25 points and six steals. The game was Smith's 12th in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Nazire Davis, who posted two points and five steals.
Huss smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, T.C. Roberson's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell 55-49 to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee.
Huss will have to contain Dean Lowe as he made an impact in T.C. Roberson's last game. He went 11-for-18 en route to 25 points. Lowe is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 46% in the last 16 games he's played dating back to last season. Jayden Specht-Mitchell was another key player, putting up five points and six rebounds.
Huss' victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.4 points over those games. As for T.C. Roberson, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Huss has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.7 boards per game. However, it's not like T.C. Roberson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Huss strolled past T.C. Roberson in their previous meeting back in November by a score of 71-57. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lowe, who dropped a double-double with 26 points and 14 boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Huskies still be able to contain Lowe? There's only one way to find out.
