The R.J. Reynolds Demons pushed their score all the way to 55 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were the victim of a rough 79-55 defeat at the hands of West Forsyth. While losing is never fun, R.J. Reynolds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 233rd, while West Forsyth is ranked 53rd).
Several Demons players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Antoine Jones Jr., who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Jones Jr. is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Evan Truzy was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Even though they lost, R.J. Reynolds smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Forsyth only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.
West Forsyth was led to victory by Jacari Brim and Michael Siedlecki. Brim scored 16 points along with five assists and five rebounds, while Siedlecki went 7 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 27 points and 2 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Siedlecki has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Jones, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
R.J. Reynolds' loss was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 10-12. As for West Forsyth, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season.
R.J. Reynolds will be playing in front of their home fans against Reagan at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully R.J. Reynolds focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up ten on Friday. As for West Forsyth, they will head out on the road to face off against East Forsyth at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. West Forsyth knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past 11 matchups -- so hopefully East Forsyth likes a good challenge.
