Basketball Game Preview: Eastern Wayne Warriors vs. West Craven Eagles

The Eastern Wayne Warriors will square off against the West Craven Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Eastern Wayne knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully West Craven likes a good challenge.

Eastern Wayne took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They rang in the new year with an 86-79 victory over Southern Wayne. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 198th, while the Saints are ranked 522nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Michael Bailey and Kairell Evans. Bailey had a solid game and posted 15 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Evans was balling out in the loss, almost dropping a double-double on 20 points and nine boards.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, West Craven's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They were dealt an 88-49 defeat at the hands of Farmville Central.

West Craven now has a losing record at 3-4. As for Eastern Wayne, their win bumped their record up to 9-4.

Everything came up roses for Eastern Wayne against West Craven in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 93-63 victory. Will Eastern Wayne repeat their success, or does West Craven have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.