Basketball Recap: Henry Smith's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Marvin Ridge over East Mecklenburg

After flying high against Central Cabarrus last Saturday, Marvin Ridge came back down to earth. The Marvin Ridge Mavericks took a 52-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of the East Mecklenburg Eagles on Monday. The Mavericks were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Eagles apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.

Several Mavericks players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Henry Smith, who posted 12 points and seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Hutchens, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 15 points.

East Mecklenburg's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ahmari Hicks, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 16 points and seven rebounds. Hicks' afternoon made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Jordan Buzzard was another key player, going 6 of 8 on his way to 13 points along with seven boards and four blocks.

Marvin Ridge has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for East Mecklenburg, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-3.

Marvin Ridge didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 67-50 victory against Porter Ridge on the 7th. As for East Mecklenburg, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 40-37 defeat against Butler on the 3rd.