Basketball Recap: Callie Craven's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Eastern Randolph over Providence Grove

Eastern Randolph lost against Providence Grove back in February of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Eastern Randolph Wildcats came up short against the Providence Grove Patriots, falling 63-39. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 429th, while the Patriots are ranked 190th).

Eastern Randolph's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Callie Craven, who went 5 for 11 on her way to 13 points and eight boards. Cora Sparrow was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds.

Providence Grove found their leader in sophomore Laurel Bernhardt, who posted 24 points along with eight boards and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bernhardt has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jada Nixon, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.

Eastern Randolph has been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season. As for Providence Grove, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season.

Eastern Randolph wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 50-27 defeat against Wheatmore on the 31st. As for Providence Grove, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 60-26 victory against Trinity on the 4th.