Basketball Recap: Monroe Skates Past Union Academy with Ease

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Previous 6 Games

02/12/25 - Home	68-35 W
01/18/23 - Away	57-38 W
11/30/21 - Home	64-26 W
02/04/17 - Away	61-55 W
01/04/16 - Home	68-45 W
02/04/15 - Away	64-39 W

Monroe won the last time they faced Union Academy and things went their way on Wednesday too. The Monroe Redhawks simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Union Academy Cardinals 68-35. Given the Redhawks' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 170th, while the Cardinals are ranked 401st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

It was another big night for Bryson Simpkins, who went 7-for-10 en route to 23 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. Another player making a difference was Kaegan Chambers, who went 7-for-15 to rack up 17 points.

Monroe 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 eight offensive boards in five consecutive games.

Several Cardinals players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Lloyd Barnes, who posted eight points and three blocks. Those three blocks gave Barnes a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaqwon Harrell, who went 7-for-13 on his way to 14 points.

Monroe is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points over those games. As for Union Academy, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 12-9.

Monroe has already played their next contest, a 62-47 victory against Forest Hills on the 14th. As for Union Academy, they will face off against Albemarle at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Union Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.9 points per game this season.