Basketball Recap: Ashley Comes Up Short

Ashley lost against Hoggard back in February of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Ashley Screaming Eagle came up short against the Hoggard Vikings, falling 70-45. While losing is never fun, the Screaming Eagle can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 270th, while the Vikings are ranked 56th).

Despite the loss, Ashley still got an impressive performance from Nate Jarrell, who posted 13 points. Another player making a difference was Keyon Jones, who put up six points.

Leading Hoggard to victory were Hunter McGrath and Lawson Brown. McGrath went 5 of 6 on his way to 11 points and seven rebounds, while Brown had 12 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Gups Clucas, who posted eight points.

Ashley dropped their record down to 5-7 with the defeat, which was their third straight at home. As for Hoggard, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Ashley will challenge West Brunswick at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Ashley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season. As for Hoggard, they will welcome Topsail at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hoggard also hasn't been messing around on offense: they've averaged 67.3 points per game.