Basketball Game Preview: Asheville Cougars vs. R-S Central Hilltoppers

Asheville is on a five-game streak of home losses, R-S Central a seven-game streak of away losses dating back to last season, but someone's luck will change on Monday. The Asheville Cougars will take on the R-S Central Hilltoppers in a tournament on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Asheville saw some tournament action on Saturday. They took a 68-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mountain View Prep. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 419th in North Carolina, while the Stars are ranked 177th in South Carolina).

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, R-S Central beat Pigeon Forge 61-57 on Saturday.

R-S Central is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 4-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Asheville, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8.

Asheville might still be hurting after the 63-41 loss they got from R-S Central in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. Will Asheville have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.