Basketball Game Preview: Western Harnett Eagles vs. Pine Forest Trojans

Western Harnett hasn't had much luck against Pine Forest recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Western Harnett Eagles will be playing at home against the Pine Forest Trojans at 7:30 p.m.

Western Harnett is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 41st straight game dating back to last season on Friday. They took a 55-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of Harnett Central. One positive for the Eagles, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.

Meanwhile, Pine Forest came tearing into Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took down the Wolverines 76-57. The Trojans pushed the score to 56-36 by the end of the third, a deficit the Wolverines cut but never quite recovered from.

Western Harnett better focus on containing Derek Green and Angelo Jones as the pair were huge in Pine Forest's win. Green almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine boards, while Jones went 9 of 12 on his way to 18 points and eight rebounds. That's the most points Green has posted since back in November of 2024. Kabori Simmons was another key player, putting up ten points and seven rebounds.

Pine Forest smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 12 consecutive contests.

Western Harnett's defeat dropped their record down to 0-16. As for Pine Forest, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season.

Western Harnett was taken down by Pine Forest 78-39 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Western Harnett was down 43-21.