Basketball Game Preview: Northampton County Jaguars vs. Northwest Halifax Vikings

The Northampton County Jaguars will take on the Northwest Halifax Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Friday, Northampton County strolled past Southeast Halifax with points to spare, taking the game 40-23. The win continues a trend for the Jaguars in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won six in a row.

Toccara Joyner

Steals

02/01/25 vs Rocky Mount Prep	4
01/28/25 @ KIPP P	4
02/07/25 @ Southeast Halifax	3
12/13/24 @ Rocky Mount Prep	3
02/04/25 @ Warren County	2
+ 9 more games

Toccara Joyner was the offensive standout of the matchup as she posted 13 points and three steals. She is becoming a predictor of Northampton County's success: when she posts at least three steals the team is undefeated (and 5-10 when she doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Kaiyah Cherry, who scored 12 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Northwest Halifax, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They breezed past KIPP P to the tune of 66-17 on Wednesday.

Northwest Halifax's win came from a few key players Northampton County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Keyara Rook, who had 31 points. Her evening made it seven games in a row in which she has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Alyssia Patterson, who put up 20 points.

Northwest Halifax's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-11. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points over those games. As for Northampton County, their record now sits at 9-10.

Northampton County couldn't quite finish off Northwest Halifax when the teams last played back in December of 2024 and fell 34-31. Can Northampton County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.