The Red Springs Red Devils will face off against the Clinton Dark Horses at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Red Springs came up short against St. Pauls on Thursday, falling 58-38. While losing is never fun, the Red Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 430th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 78th).
Loss or not, Red Springs got some senior leadership from Nakira Hunt and Monica Washington. Hunt posted 11 points, while Washington almost dropped a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds. Adrianna Locklear was another key player, putting up five points.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Clinton). They really took it to Union for the full four quarters, racking up a 74-28 victory. The Dark Horses have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 30 points or more this season.
Clinton's win came from a few key players Red Springs will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Evan Gillespie, who went 5 of 8 en route to 10 points and five steals. Another player making a difference was Daniyah Coxum, who put up ten points and six steals.
Clinton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive matchups.
Clinton's win bumped their record up to 10-5. As for Red Springs, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Red Springs has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31 boards per game. However, it's not like Clinton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Red Springs came up short against Clinton when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 35-24. Can Red Springs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
