The North Buncombe Black Hawks will head out to square off against the Asheville Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (North Buncombe has three straight victories, Asheville has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
Last Wednesday, North Buncombe took their contest with ease, bagging a 64-33 win over T.C. Roberson. The Black Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 27 points or more this season.
Grace Parker
| 01/15/25 vs T.C. Roberson | 20 |
| 11/26/24 @ Freedom | 19 |
| 11/17/23 vs Madison | 10 |
| 12/06/24 vs North Henderson | 10 |
| 12/10/24 @ Owen | 10 |
North Buncombe relied on the efforts of Aubrey Gilliland, who went 7 of 11 en route to 14 points in addition to six boards and six steals, and Grace Parker, who went 6 for 8 on her way to 20 points and four steals. The dominant performance gave Parker a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Kadence Penley, who posted nine points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Asheville suffered their biggest loss since February 9, 2024 on Tuesday. They were outmatched by McDowell and fell 80-36. The Cougars were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-15.
North Buncombe will have to contain Hayziah Dillingham as she made an impact in Asheville's last game. She went 5 for 11 on her way to 14 points and five boards.
North Buncombe has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.2 points per game. As for Asheville, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Buncombe has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Asheville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Buncombe came up short against Asheville in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 48-41. Can North Buncombe avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
