Preview: Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls vs. Sun Valley Spartans
Hickory Ridge has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Sun Valley Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hickory Ridge's defense has only allowed 29.7 points per game this season, so Sun Valley's offense will have their work cut out for Sun Valley.
Last Friday, Hickory Ridge beat Porter Ridge 55-47. That's two games straight that Hickory Ridge has won by exactly eight points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hickory Ridge to victory, but perhaps none more so than Amya Leathers, who scored 16 points along with six assists and five rebounds. That's the first time this season that Leathers scored 15 or more points. Sheree Gidney was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Sun Valley had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They skirted past Queen's Grant 2-0. Given Sun Valley's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 227th, while Queen's Grant is ranked 580th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hickory Ridge pushed their record up to 5-1 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.6 points per game. As for Sun Valley, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Hickory Ridge beat Sun Valley 67-55 in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hickory Ridge since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
