Basketball Game Preview: Emerald Vikings vs. Wren Hurricanes

The Emerald Vikings will head out on the road to challenge the Wren Hurricanes at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Emerald has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with five straight defeats, while Wren will come in with five straight victories.

Last Friday, Emerald ended up a good deal behind Laurens and lost 67-50. While losing is never fun, the Vikings can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 184th, while the Raiders are ranked 24th).

Emerald's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Da'Marquis Hopkins, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards, and Rykevius Logan, who went 5 of 11 en route to 11 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Wren beat Woodmont 68-58 on Monday.

Emerald better keep an eye on Abijah Franklin. He was instrumental in Wren's win, going 11 for 22 on his way to 31 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. That makes it 18 consecutive games in which Franklin has scored at least a third of Wren's points. Rhett Warga was another key player, dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten boards.

Emerald's defeat dropped their record down to 6-11. As for Wren, their win bumped their record up to 16-3.

Emerald was taken down by Wren 88-57 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Emerald avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.