Preview: Ashe County Huskies vs. Millers Creek Christian Lions
The Ashe County Huskies will head out on the road to square off against the Millers Creek Christian Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Ashe County is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Ashe County pushed their score all the way to 55 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. The game between them and Freedom wasn't particularly close, with Ashe County falling 70-55. Ashe County has struggled against Freedom recently, as their contest on Friday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Ashe County's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Ian Graybeal, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Bryce Peters who scored 14 points along with two steals. Graybeal is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for four games straight. The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Peters, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Millers Creek Christian took a serious blow against Triad Baptist Christian Academy last Friday, falling 77-40. While losing is never fun, Millers Creek Christian can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 493rd, while Triad Baptist Christian Academy is ranked 228th).
Cam Layaou put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten blocks. Layaou is crushing the block category: he's posted at least four every time he's taken the court this season. Ethan Childers was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five rebounds.
Ashe County has not been sharp recently as the team has lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-14 record this season. As for Millers Creek Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-6.
Monday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Ashe County have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 49.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Millers Creek Christian struggles in that department as they've made 44.1% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ashe County beat Millers Creek Christian 53-41 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Layaou, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and six blocks. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Ashe County still be able to contain Layaou? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
