Preview: South Point Red Raiders vs. North Gaston Wildcats
South Point is 9-1 against North Gaston since February of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The South Point Red Raiders will be playing in front of their home fans against the North Gaston Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. South Point has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 903 points over their last 13 matchups.
South Point pushed their score all the way to 62 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 79-62 bruising from Kings Mountain. South Point found out winning isn't easy when you make seven fewer threes than your opponent.
Graham Williams put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 23 points and 18 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Greyson Kines, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, North Gaston's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight defeat. They suffered a tough 79-54 loss at the hands of Crest. While losing is never fun, North Gaston can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 489th, while Crest is ranked 38th).
Despite the defeat, North Gaston had strong showings from Jurnee Lattimore, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds, and Markell Carothers, who scored 20 points. Jaylen Hill was another key contributor, scoring four points along with five rebounds.
South Point dropped their record down to 11-11 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for North Gaston, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost 11 of their last 12 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-19 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: South Point have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Gaston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went South Point's way against North Gaston when the teams last played back in January as South Point made off with a 83-63 victory. Will South Point repeat their success, or does North Gaston have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
