Basketball Recap: Lincolnton Drops Season-High Score on Maiden

Lincolnton scored the most points they've had this season on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough. They took a 103-96 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Maiden Blue Devils. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (93), the Wolves still had to take the loss.

LJ Smith IV

Points

02/11/25 @ Maiden	47
02/07/25 @ East Burke	41
02/04/25 vs West Caldwell	27
01/31/25 @ Bandys	34
01/28/25 vs Newton-Conover	21
+ 17 more games

Despite the loss, Lincolnton still got an impressive performance from LJ Smith IV, who dropped a double-double with 47 points and 13 boards. Smith IV's evening made it 22 games in a row in which he has scored at least 19 points. Tyler McClain was another key player, going 6-for-13 to rack up 20 points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists.

Even though they lost, Lincolnton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2023.

Maiden's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Raheim Misher, who dropped a double-double with 16 points and 20 boards. Misher has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last 42 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Zion White, who dropped a double-double with 21 points and 12 assists.

Lincolnton suffered their first road loss, dropping their record down to 18-5. As for Maiden, their win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-4.

Lincolnton and Maiden should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings. Lincolnton (ranked 118th) will meet West Lincoln (ranked 457th) at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lincolnton is coming into the contest hot, having won their last seven games. Similarly, Maiden will square off against Newton-Conover at 8:00 p.m. on Friday up 168 places (105 vs. 273). Lincolnton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 76.1 points per game this season.