Basketball Game Preview: Hobbton Wildcats vs. Lakewood Leopards

The Hobbton Wildcats will take on the Lakewood Leopards at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Hobbton is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They enjoyed a cozy 70-54 win over Neuse Charter on Friday.

Meanwhile, Lakewood entered their tilt with St. Pauls on Saturday with ten consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 11. They walked away with an 82-71 victory over the Bulldogs. Given the Leopards' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 207th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 496th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hobbton better focus on containing Xavier Hall and Cameron Williams as the pair were huge in Lakewood's win. Hall dropped a double-double on 27 points and 16 boards, while Williams went 11 for 14 on his way to 29 points and eight rebounds. Hall is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least nine every time he's taken the court this season. Juan Parker Jr. was another key player, going 6 of 7 en route to 12 points in addition to seven boards and four steals.

Lakewood smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.

Lakewood pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Hobbton, their victory bumped their record up to 5-8.

Hobbton came up short against Lakewood in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 69-64. Can Hobbton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.