Basketball Game Preview: Croatan Cougars vs. Richlands Wildcats

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Croatan Cougars duke it out with the Richlands Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday... Croatan is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.1 points per game this season.

Last Friday, Croatan didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against White Oak, but they still walked away with a 50-44 win. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 177th, while the Vikings are ranked 423rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Croatan to victory, but perhaps none more so than Neely McMannen, who posted 15 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. The game was McMannen's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Leah Johnson, who put up eight points in addition to seven boards and six blocks.

Meanwhile, Richlands came up short against Heide Trask back in December of 2024 and fell 36-23. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Croatan pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.2 points per game. As for Richlands, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.

Croatan couldn't quite finish off Richlands in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 and fell 31-29. Can Croatan avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.