Basketball Game Preview: Martin County Gators vs. Gates County Red Barons

Martin County is 3-0 against Gates County since January of 2024 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Martin County Gators will take on the Gates County Red Barons at 7:30 p.m. Martin County is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.2 points per game this season.

Martin County is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Tarboro just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of the Vikings by a score of 62-59. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Gators have suffered since March 1, 2024.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kel'Javious Moore, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 boards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Kwahli Basnight, who posted eight points along with 11 boards and three steals.

Even though they lost, Martin County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Gates County was just a bucket shy of victory on Monday and fell 59-58 to Perquimans. The Red Barons were up 49-35 in the third quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.

Martin County's loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 11-4. As for Gates County, they dropped their record down to 6-11 with the defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road.

Everything came up roses for Martin County against Gates County in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the squad secured an 85-56 victory. In that matchup, Martin County amassed a halftime lead of 48-24, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.