Basketball Game Preview: Statesville Greyhounds vs. North Lincoln Knights

Statesville is on a three-game streak of home wins, while North Lincoln is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Statesville Greyhounds will welcome the North Lincoln Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Statesville knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 14 matchups -- so hopefully North Lincoln likes a good challenge.

Statesville will bounce into Friday's game after beating Hickory, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Statesville came out on top against Hickory by a score of 71-62 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, everything went North Lincoln's way against East Lincoln on Tuesday as North Lincoln made off with a 71-49 victory. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 22 points or more this season.

North Lincoln's win came from a few key players Statesville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kellen Karr, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in the last 17 games he's played dating back to last season. Ty Sanders was another key player, going 6 for 15 en route to 18 points and six boards.

North Lincoln smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive matches.

Statesville is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.8 points per game. As for North Lincoln, their win bumped their record up to 11-5.

Statesville came out on top in a nail-biter against North Lincoln in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, sneaking past 83-81. Does Statesville have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Lincoln turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.