Preview: Laney Buccaneers vs. Ashley Screaming Eagle
Laney has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Ashley Screaming Eagle at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few points on average, (Laney: 28.7, Ashley: 28.3) so any points scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, Laney beat West Brunswick 43-35. Given Laney's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 59th, while West Brunswick is ranked 223rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Laney's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Aniece Lewis, who scored 12 points along with five assists and five rebounds, and Lauren Bastable, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds. Those 17 points set a new season-high mark for Bastable. Piper Conklin was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Ashley was able to grind out a solid victory over South Brunswick on Tuesday, taking the game 42-33. The win made it back-to-back wins for Ashley.
Ashley can attribute much of their success to Jaeden Hudson, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds. Those 19 points set a new season-high mark for Hudson. The team also got some help courtesy of Bella Cook, who scored five points along with 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Laney pushed their record up to 6-0 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Ashley, their win ended a three-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-1.
Laney suffered a grim 49-24 defeat to Ashley when the teams last played back in January. Can Laney avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
