Basketball Recap: Martin County Victorious

Martin County entered their tilt with Perquimans on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 54-53 victory over the Perquimans Pirates. Given the Gators' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 197th, while the Pirates are ranked 589th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Martin County's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jordan Matthewson, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 14 rebounds. The match was Matthewson's third in a row with at least ten points. Kamarion Larry was another key player, putting up 17 points along with five boards and three steals.

Martin County was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Perquimans only posted five assists.

Perquimans' loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Xavier Spellman, who posted 21 points. That's the most points Spellman has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Xhyher Hunter, who had 13 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals.

Martin County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.4 points per game. As for Perquimans, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-13.

Martin County will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Bertie at 7:30 p.m. on January 28th. Perquimans has already played their next game, a 59-53 defeat against Northampton on the 20th.