Basketball Game Preview: North Buncombe Black Hawks vs. McDowell Titans

By Team Reports Feb 1, 2024, 4:15am

Preview: North Buncombe Black Hawks vs. McDowell Titans

The North Buncombe Black Hawks will look to defend their home court on Friday against the McDowell Titans at 6:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Tuesday, North Buncombe didn't have too much breathing room in their match against the Rams, but they still walked away with a 33-28 win. Given North Buncombe's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while the Rams are ranked 380th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

North Buncombe relied on the efforts of Kadence Penley, who scored 11 points, and Aubrey Gilliland, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds and six steals.

Meanwhile, McDowell can now show off 14 landslide victories after their most recent contest on Wednesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Erwin 63-28 on the road. The victory made it back-to-back wins for McDowell.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead McDowell to victory, but perhaps none more so than Sage Young, who scored 14 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Young has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Kensly Stewart, who scored 12 points.

North Buncombe's victory bumped their record up to 12-5. As for McDowell, they pushed their record up to 15-3 with that victory, which was their sixth straight on the road.

North Buncombe was dealt a bruising 61-29 loss at the hands of the Titans when the teams last played back in January. Will North Buncombe have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.