Basketball Recap: Jalen Howard Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Stuart W. Cramer

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against North Lincoln, North Gaston was happy to have turned things around on Friday. They snuck past the Stuart W. Cramer Storm with a 53-49 win. This was payback for the Wildcats, who suffered a 57-54 loss the last time these two teams met.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Gaston to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jalen Howard, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine boards. Howard's afternoon made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Ranfiel Guerrero, who posted nine points.

Wildcats

Offensive Rebounds

02/02/24 @ Forestview	19
12/28/23 vs Bessemer City	16
01/30/24 @ Stuart W. Cramer	15
12/27/24 vs Stuart W. Cramer	13
01/10/24 vs Forestview	13

North Gaston smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in February.

Despite the loss, Stuart W. Cramer still got an impressive performance from Makhi Brown, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten boards. Brown is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Darren Stowe was another key player, putting up seven points and five rebounds.

North Gaston moved to 5-6 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Stuart W. Cramer, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-7.

North Gaston and West Lincoln will face off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. North Gaston is facing West Lincoln at the right time seeing as West Lincoln is stuck on a four-game losing streak. As for Stuart W. Cramer, they and Cherryville will face off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. Stuart W. Cramer has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.