Basketball Recap: Croatan Picks Up Fourth Consecutive Win

Croatan's game on Friday was all tied up 18-18 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They enjoyed a cozy 45-26 victory over the Dixon Bulldogs. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 137th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 501st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Croatan's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hannah Buchan led the charge by putting up nine points and eight steals. The dominant performance gave Buchan a new career-high in steals. Faith Eilertson also deserves some recognition as she posted her first assist of the season.

Croatan was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dixon only posted three assists.

Despite the loss, Dixon still got an impressive performance from Alivia Nokes, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards. Nokes is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games.

The win (which was Croatan's fourth in a row) raised their record to 10-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.3 points per game. As for Dixon, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-11.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Croatan will take on Swansboro at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Croatan has won five straight at home, while Swansboro won six straight on the road), something that'll have to change. Dixon has already played their next contest (against West Carteret), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.