Basketball Game Preview: North Lincoln Knights vs. Hickory Red Tornadoes

North Lincoln is 1-6 against Hickory since December of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The North Lincoln Knights will challenge the Hickory Red Tornadoes at 6:00 p.m. One thing working in North Lincoln's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last nine games.

North Lincoln will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Bandys, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Everything went North Lincoln's way against Bandys on Saturday as North Lincoln made off with a 68-42 win. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 26 points or more this season.

North Lincoln can attribute much of their success to Ashlyn Black, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards, and Ally Smith, who went 7 of 13 on her way to 16 points in addition to five boards and five steals. The game was Smith's eighth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Addison Grice, who went 7 of 8 on her way to 16 points.

Meanwhile, Hickory came into Monday's match having lost seven straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They simply couldn't be stopped on Monday as they easily beat Bunker Hill 65-27. The Red Tornadoes' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

North Lincoln pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.3 points per game. As for Hickory, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.

North Lincoln beat Hickory 48-38 when the teams last played back in January. Does North Lincoln have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hickory turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.