Preview: Carson Cougars vs. Central Cabarrus Vikings
The Carson Cougars on the road again on Friday and play against the Central Cabarrus Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on January 26th. Carson will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 536th, while Central Cabarrus is ranked 232nd).
Carson suffered their biggest loss since December 28, 2023 on Wednesday. They were dealt a 47-8 defeat at the hands of East Rowan. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Carson in their matchups with East Rowan: they've now lost four in a row.
Brooklyn Mcbride was Carson's leading scorer, having posted three points.
Caylee Sheets held things down on the boards with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Central Cabarrus scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They put the hurt on South Rowan with a sharp 68-48 win. Central Cabarrus has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 20 points or more this season.
Central Cabarrus got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jahnae Duncan out in front who scored 16 points along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Duncan hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyra Lewis, who scored 23 points along with seven steals.
Carson dropped their record down to 1-16 with that loss, which was their 15th straight on the road. As for Central Cabarrus, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Carson have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Central Cabarrus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Carson suffered a grim 45-24 defeat to Central Cabarrus in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. The match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Carson was down 30-10.
