Basketball Game Preview: Croatan Cougars vs. Cape Hatteras Hurricanes + How To Watch

The Croatan Cougars will venture away from home to challenge the Cape Hatteras Hurricanes at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Cape Hatteras took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Croatan, who comes in off a win.

Croatan not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since February 18th (when they won 68-25). They breezed past East Carteret to the tune of 51-13. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Mariners recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Neely McMannen

Steals

12/03/25 @ East Carteret	3
12/02/25 vs East Duplin	4
11/25/25 vs Topsail	3
11/24/25 vs James Kenan	8
11/18/25 @ Topsail	2

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Croatan to victory, but perhaps none more so than Neely McMannen, who posted 12 points and three steals. McMannen is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Hannah Buchan, who put up nine points and three steals.

Croatan was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Cape Hatteras was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They had to suffer through a 58-15 loss at the hands of First Flight. The game marked the Hurricanes' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Cape Hatteras' defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Croatan, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Everything came up roses for Croatan against Cape Hatteras when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 52-25 win. In that contest, the Cougars amassed a halftime lead of 36-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.