Basketball Recap: Washington County Takes a Loss

Washington County lost against Gates County back in February of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Washington County Panthers lost to the Gates County Red Barons at home by a 47-33 margin. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 263rd, while the Red Barons are ranked 67th).

Despite the loss, Washington County saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Ke'Myia Young posted 18 points and five boards. That was a full 54.5% of Washington County's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.

Gates County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Zoey Nowell out in front who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 15 boards. With that strong performance, Nowell is now averaging an impressive 8.4 rebounds per game. Zebriya Woodley was another key player, putting up seven points along with seven rebounds and three steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Washington County and nudges their season record down to 5-4. As for Gates County, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 13-0.

Washington County didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 68-28 win against Tarboro on the 14th. As for Gates County, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 47-46 victory against Perquimans on the 14th.