Basketball Recap: Noah Vanbeurden's Big Game Can't Quite Lead St. Stephens over Hickory

If St. Stephens was riding high fresh off their 84-61 takedown of North Iredell last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The St. Stephens Indians took a 78-73 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hickory Red Tornadoes. The Indians were not able to make up for their defeat to the Red Tornadoes from their previous meeting back in February of 2024.

Several Indians players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Noah Vanbeurden, who went 9 of 17 en route to 25 points. Vanbeurden's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jachavis Sherrill, who went 9 of 14 on his way to 22 points and seven rebounds.

Even though they lost, St. Stephens smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive matches.

St. Stephens has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-8 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Hickory, their victory was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1.

St. Stephens wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 74-65 loss against North Lincoln on the 9th. As for Hickory, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 73-59 win against North Iredell on the 9th.