Basketball Game Preview: Smithfield-Selma Spartans vs. Hunt Warriors

Smithfield-Selma hasn't had much luck against Hunt recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Smithfield-Selma Spartans will head out to square off against the Hunt Warriors at 7:30 p.m.

Smithfield-Selma is headed into Tuesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game last Friday. They were dealt a 92-41 loss at the hands of C.B. Aycock. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 543rd, while the Golden Falcons are ranked 217th).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hunt). They came out on top against Fike by a score of 75-62 on Monday. Winning may never get old, but the Warriors sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Hunt's win came from a few key players Smithfield-Selma will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Austin Joyner, who went 9 of 12 on his way to 23 points and five rebounds. He is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Pridgen, who went 6 for 12 en route to 16 points.

Hunt has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.1 points per game. As for Smithfield-Selma, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.

Smithfield-Selma ended up a good deal behind Hunt when the teams last played back in December of 2024, losing 65-51. Can Smithfield-Selma avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.