Preview: Laney Buccaneers vs. White Oak Vikings
The Laney Buccaneers will head out on the road to face off against the White Oak Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Laney put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Pender 70-48.
Laney's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Quin?sier Waddell led the charge by scoring 9 points along with 3 steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaquan Bowen, who scored 12 points along with 7 rebounds.
White Oak has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 27 points or more this season. They blew past Topsail 78-44 at home. Given White Oak's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while Topsail is ranked 327th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead White Oak to victory, but perhaps none more so than Derrick Benbow jr, who scored 17 points along with 4 steals. The game was Benbow jr's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Curtis Jackson, who scored 16 points along with 5 rebounds.
Laney's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for White Oak, the win for they keeps them at an undefeated 4-0.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's match: Laney have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.8 threes per game. It's a different story for White Oak, though, as they've been averaging only 3 per game. Given Laney's sizeable advantage in that area, White Oak will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Laney beat White Oak 57-48 in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Laney since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
