The Union Pines Vikings's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Triton Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on December 27th. Union Pines has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 684 points over their last nine matches.
Even though Lee County scored an imposing 71 points two weeks ago, Union Pines still came out on top. Union Pines took their matchup against Lee County 79-71.
Union Pines relied on the efforts of Aiden Leonard, who scored 19 points along with eight assists, and Jaylen Kyle, who scored 23 points along with nine rebounds and six steals. That's the first time this season that Kyle pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Zion Kiser, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, Triton's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 53-52 to Southern Lee. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Triton in their matchups with Southern Lee: they've now lost seven in a row.
Despite the loss, Triton saw an underclassman step up: B. J. Surles scored 16 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Those six rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Javon Cowan, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds.
Union Pines' victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-1. As for Triton, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-2.
Wednesday's matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Union Pines have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 36.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Triton, though, as they've been averaging only 29.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Union Pines beat Triton 44-32 in their previous matchup back in February of 2021. Will Union Pines repeat their success, or does Triton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
