After a string of three wins, the Martin County Knights's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell 53-46 to Bertie. While losing is never fun, Martin County can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 319th, while Bertie is ranked 43rd).
Martin County's loss came despite strong showings from Tayvon Lee and Jordan Matthewson. Lee scored ten points along with seven rebounds and five steals, while Matthewson scored 14 points. Lee has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jaquavion Sheppard, who scored six points along with two blocks.
Zymiere Dempsey was his usual excellent self, scoring 16 points along with six assists and five steals for Bertie. Dempsey is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Jah'Kelvin Rascoe was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with five rebounds.
Martin County's loss dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Bertie, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Martin County will head out on the road to square off against Pamlico County at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pamlico County is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 54.5 points per game. As for Bertie, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against Franklin at 9:00 p.m.
