Hickory came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins and they left with even more momentum. They managed a 78-73 win over the St. Stephens Indians. Given the Red Tornadoes' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 57th, while the Indians are ranked 334th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Stephens' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Noah Vanbeurden, who went 9 for 17 on his way to 25 points. The matchup was Vanbeurden's third in a row with 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 boards.
Red Tornadoes
| 01/07/25 vs St. Stephens | 78-73 |
| 01/03/25 vs North Lincoln | 80-78 |
| 03/08/24 vs Southern Guilford | 82-55 |
| 03/05/24 vs Piedmont | 70-43 |
| 03/01/24 vs North Lincoln | 88-46 |
| + 14 more games |
Hickory's victory was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 26.9 points. As for St. Stephens, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-8 record this season.
Hickory didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 73-59 win against North Iredell on the 9th. As for St. Stephens, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 74-65 loss against North Lincoln on the 9th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
