Basketball Game Preview: Page Pirates vs. Northern Guilford Nighthawks

Page hasn't had much luck against Northern Guilford recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Page Pirates are taking a road trip to face off against the Northern Guilford Nighthawks at 6:00 p.m. Page will be strutting in after a win while Northern Guilford will be coming in after a defeat.

Having struggled with five losses in a row, Page turned things around against Southeast Guilford on Friday. They came out on top against the Falcons by a score of 58-48. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Pirates' disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 282nd, while the Falcons are ranked 110th).

Page found their leader in sophomore Lola Vanore, who went 10 for 15 en route to 37 points in addition to seven rebounds and five steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Vanore has scored at least a third of Page's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Assyria Hooper, who posted eight points.

Meanwhile, Northern Guilford came up short against Grimsley on Friday and fell 50-43.

Despite the defeat, Northern Guilford saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Leena McField dropped a double-double on 25 points and ten boards. Malena DeLisa was another key player, putting up five points and seven rebounds.

Northern Guilford's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Page, their win bumped their record up to 6-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Page has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Northern Guilford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Page suffered a grim 63-37 defeat to Northern Guilford in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Page avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.