Preview: Laney Buccaneers vs. Topsail Pirates
Laney is 9-1 against Topsail since December of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Laney Buccaneers will look to defend their home court against the Topsail Pirates at 6:30 p.m. Hopefully Laney is not getting complacent considering they own a much higher rank in North Carolina (they are ranked 42nd, while Topsail is ranked 399th).
Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 12 to 2 on the offensive boards, a fact Laney proved on Thursday. They walked away with a 50-39 win over Topsail. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Laney.
Laney's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Shark Baynard, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and two steals, and Quin?sier Waddell, who scored 14 points along with five steals. Another player making a difference was Hezron Driver, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds.
Laney's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.7 points per game. As for Topsail, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-17 record this season.
Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Laney have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 43.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Topsail struggles in that department as they've made 41.8% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Laney was able to grind out a solid victory over Topsail in their previous meeting on Thursday, winning 50-39. Does Laney have another victory up their sleeve, or will Topsail turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
