Basketball Game Preview: Independence Patriots vs. Charlotte Catholic Cougars

Independence hasn't had much luck against Charlotte Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The two teams will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. Both are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.

Independence is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Wakefield 75-34 on Saturday. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 41st, while the Wolverines are ranked 145th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Independence's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaxson Neely, who went 5 for 7 on his way to 13 points and three steals. Neely has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Barnes, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 11 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Catholic put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Providence with a sharp 71-51 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Cougars have posted against the Panthers since January 13, 2017.

Independence pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for Charlotte Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 9-0.

Independence suffered a grim 63-39 defeat to Charlotte Catholic in their previous meeting back in January. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Independence was down 36-11.