Preview: Swansboro Pirates vs. Topsail Pirates
Swansboro has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Topsail Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Swansboro beat Northside - Jacksonville 39-29. The win was just what Swansboro needed coming off of a 47-23 defeat in their prior game.
Swansboro got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ashlynn Cook out in front who scored 4 points along with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Hislop, who scored 5 points.
Topsail has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 28 points or more this season. They claimed a resounding 53-25 victory over White Oak on the road. Given Topsail's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 179th, while White Oak is ranked 386th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Topsail's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Emmy Clark, who scored 10 points along with 7 rebounds and 6 steals. Clark hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Rhianna Garmendiz, who scored 11 points along with 5 rebounds.
The win got Swansboro back to even at 2-2. As for Topsail, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Swansboro suffered a grim 65-43 defeat to Topsail in their previous matchup back in November of 2018. Thankfully for Swansboro, Julia Sullivan (who scored 13 points along with 9 rebounds and 3 steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
