Basketball Game Preview: Surry Central Golden Eagles vs. West Stokes Wildcats

Surry Central and West Stokes are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. The Surry Central Golden Eagles will face off against the West Stokes Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Surry Central's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

It was a Battle of the Birds when Surry Central challenged Wilkes Central on Tuesday. Surry Central took down Wilkes Central 64-48. Given the Golden Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 178th, while the Eagles are ranked 416th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Tripp Mcmillen was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 24 points and 11 boards. That's the most points he has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jax Whitaker, who went 5 of 11 en route to 13 points and five rebounds.

Surry Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, West Stokes played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Morehead, falling 56-35. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Surry Central is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season. As for West Stokes, they now have a losing record at 8-9.

Surry Central strolled past West Stokes when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a score of 68-53. The rematch might be a little tougher for Surry Central since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.