Basketball Recap: Aiden Leonard Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Fairmont

There's no place like home for Union Pines, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes by a score of 71-59 on Monday. The Vikings pushed the score to 58-34 by the end of the third, a deficit the Golden Tornadoes cut but never quite recovered from.

Union Pines' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Aiden Leonard, who went 8 for 12 en route to 22 points and three steals. That's the most points Leonard has posted since back in December of 2023. Jaylen Kyle was another key player, going 8 of 13 on his way to 17 points.

Several Golden Tornadoes players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Josiah Billings, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 15 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Cummings, who posted 21 points and six boards.

Union Pines' win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.0 points per game. As for Fairmont, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-5.

Union Pines will venture away from home to take on Lee County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Union Pines' favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four games. As for Fairmont, they will host West Bladen at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. West Bladen knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matchups -- so hopefully Fairmont likes a good challenge.