It'll be Battle of the Birds when the Rocky River Ravens take on the East Mecklenburg Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday... Rocky River is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.6 points per game this season.
Last Wednesday, Rocky River didn't have quite enough to beat North Mecklenburg and fell 49-46. The game marked the Ravens' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Despite their loss, Rocky River saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. BRIAN Carr, who posted ten points and five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Ronnie Little was another key player, putting up ten points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, East Mecklenburg hadn't done well against Porter Ridge recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way last Wednesday. East Mecklenburg walked away with a 57-46 win over Porter Ridge. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Pirates are ranked 334th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rocky River better focus on containing Jordan Buzzard and Vance Johnson as the pair were huge in East Mecklenburg's win. Buzzard dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 boards, while Johnson put up eight points along with six assists and three steals. That's the most assists Johnson has posted since back in November of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of James Mciver, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 10 points.
East Mecklenburg was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Porter Ridge only posted 11 assists.
East Mecklenburg's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for Rocky River, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rocky River has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.7 boards per game. However, it's not like East Mecklenburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rocky River beat East Mecklenburg 66-58 in their previous matchup back in January. Will Rocky River repeat their success, or does East Mecklenburg have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
