Ashley hasn't had much luck against Laney recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Ashley Screaming Eagle will head out to face off against the Laney Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. Ashley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.7 points per game this season.
Ashley lost 84-62 to New Hanover last Thursday. While losing is never fun, the Screaming Eagle can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 255th, while the Wildcats are ranked 19th).
| 02/13/24 @ Topsail | 27 |
| 02/09/24 vs Hoggard | 22 |
| 01/10/24 @ West Brunswick | 21 |
| 01/23/24 vs Topsail | 20 |
| 01/09/25 @ New Hanover | 19 |
The losing side was boosted by Quinn Bentley, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 19 points. That's the most points he has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Nate Jarrell, who posted 16 points and six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Ashley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Laney lost to Hoggard at home by a 63-46 margin last Thursday.
Despite the defeat, Laney saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Dylan Fortun scored 15 points and five boards. Trenton Hall also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Laney has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-5 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.5 points per game. As for Ashley, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ashley has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 27.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Laney struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Ashley came up short against Laney in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 44-33. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Laney's Colin Lamb, who went 8 for 16 en route to 19 points in addition to eight boards and four steals. Now that Ashley knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
