Basketball Game Preview: Croatan Cougars vs. Swansboro Pirates

The Croatan Cougars will face off against the Swansboro Pirates at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Croatan is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.1 points per game this season.

Last Friday, Croatan didn't have too much breathing room in their game against White Oak, but they still walked away with a 50-44 win. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 163rd, while the Vikings are ranked 434th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Croatan got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Neely McMannen out in front who posted 15 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. That's the most rebounds McMannen has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Leah Johnson, who had eight points along with seven boards and six blocks.

Meanwhile, Swansboro humbled Richlands with a 59-21 victory. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 27 points or more this season.

Swansboro pushed their record up to 8-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 25.5 points per game. As for Croatan, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-1.

Croatan came out on top in a nail-biter against Swansboro when the teams last played back in February of 2024, sneaking past 38-36. Will Croatan repeat their success, or does Swansboro have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.