Preview: Smithfield-Selma Spartans vs. Triton Hawks
The Smithfield-Selma Spartans will be home for the holidays to greet the Triton Hawks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Smithfield-Selma has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Smithfield-Selma scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 69-66 victory over Harnett Central. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Smithfield-Selma's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dalvin Richardson, who scored 17 points along with four steals. Richardson also scored 15+ points for the first time this season. Jacob Stewart was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with nine rebounds and seven blocks.
Meanwhile, Triton had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They came out on top against Terry Sanford by a score of 55-47. Given Triton's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 210th, while Terry Sanford is ranked 561st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Romello Pegues, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Pegues has scored at least 25% of Triton's points. Another player making a difference was Javon Cowan, who scored 15 points.
Smithfield-Selma's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Triton, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Smithfield-Selma suffered a grim 80-57 defeat to Triton in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can Smithfield-Selma avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
