Basketball Recap: Friday's Victory Is Whites Creek's Ninth in Last Ten Outings

Malachi Benton

Points

02/21/25 vs Stratford	19
01/31/25 @ East Nashville Magnet	7
01/28/25 @ Stratford	17
01/24/25 vs KIPP Nashville Collegiate	7
01/23/25 vs Stratford	14
+ 14 more games

If Stratford wanted to avenge their loss from the last time they played Whites Creek, they should've done a better job of containing Malachi Benton. The Whites Creek Cobras strolled past the Stratford Spartans with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 55-41 thanks to Benton, who went 7-for-10 on his way to 19 points. That's the most points he has posted since back in November of 2024.

Michael Palmer was another key player, putting up six points along with 15 boards and seven blocks. He is becoming a predictor of Whites Creek's success: when he posts at least three blocks the team is 5-2 (and 7-8 when he doesn't).

Stratford's loss came despite strong showings from Darrin Bailey and Carter Allen. Bailey earned nine points, while Allen put up six points.

Whites Creek is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.9 points over those games. Stratford's defeat dropped their record down to 7-17.

Whites Creek didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 57-53 loss against East Nashville Magnet on the 22nd. As for Stratford, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 51-41 victory against KIPP Nashville Collegiate on the 22nd.