Basketball Game Preview: SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars vs. Northwood Chargers

The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars will venture away from home to face off against the Northwood Chargers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with SouthWest Edgecombe sitting on four straight victories and Northwood on 15.

SouthWest Edgecombe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 60-48 win over Goldsboro. Given SouthWest Edgecombe's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 95th, while Goldsboro is ranked 242nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Justin Bridgers

Blocked Shots

02/25/25 vs Goldsboro	8
02/17/25 vs West Craven	3
02/14/25 vs West Craven	3
02/12/25 vs Tarboro	5
02/11/25 @ Washington	4
+ 12 more games

Justin Bridgers was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 29 points and 12 boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in each of the last 17 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Alijah Lassiter, who on his way to 10 points and seven rebounds.

SouthWest Edgecombe smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Northwood won against Southeast Alamance on Friday with 60 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Tuesday. Northwood blew past Camden County, posting a 60-25 victory. The Chargers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 21 matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Northwood's win was their 25th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 26-2. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.2 points over those games. As for SouthWest Edgecombe, their record now sits at 19-5.