New Bern was the 72-59 winner over West Carteret when they last played one another back in December of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The New Bern Bears fell 56-45 to the West Carteret Patriots on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 313th, while the Patriots are ranked 149th).
When it comes to explaining why New Bern lost, don't look at Jussan Wiggins. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. Wiggins also grabbed five steals, which is notable because New Bern is 4-2 when he posts at least five steals, but 1-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ivion Smith, who posted eight points in addition to five assists and five boards.
West Carteret's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nehemiah Hester, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 12 points along with seven assists and seven boards. Hester is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Jack Bell was another key player, putting up 11 points and four steals.
Bears
| 12/31/24 @ West Carteret | 45-56 |
| 12/28/24 vs Living Water Christian | 67-59 |
| 12/27/24 vs Spring Creek | 58-56 |
| 12/23/24 vs North Pitt | 76-60 |
| 12/13/24 vs Havelock | 57-82 |
New Bern moved to 5-4 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for West Carteret, they pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
New Bern didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 60-50 defeat against South Central on the 3rd. As for West Carteret, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 71-66 win against Jacksonville on the 6th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
