Basketball Recap: New Hanover's Run of Four Straight Victories Now Over

New Hanover dropped down to 5-2 on Saturday, ending the team's four-game streak of wins. They fell 58-54 to the Independence Patriots. The contest marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Quin'Sier Waddell

Points

12/13/25 @ Independence	17
12/12/25 @ Hopewell	9
12/06/25 vs South Mecklenburg	2
12/05/25 @ Garner	0
11/24/25 @ Jack Britt	13
+ 2 more games

Several Wildcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Quin'Sier Waddell, who shot 60% from the field en route to 17 points. Waddell continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Kellum Brown was another key player, putting up 16 points and seven rebounds.

As for Independence, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.6 points over those games.

It was another big night for Christan Jones, who went 7-for-17 on his way to 18 points and four steals. The game was his third in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Laurence Black, who shot 43% from the field to rack up 14 points.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. New Hanover will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on St. Petersburg at 11:30 a.m. on January 1, 2026. Independence and Myers Park will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.