Basketball Recap: Make It Four in a Row for Hopewell

Hopewell had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 31 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They took down the Meadowbrook Monarchs 72-58. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Monarchs are ranked 237th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hopewell's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nick Byrd, who went 6 of 9 en route to 16 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. The contest was Byrd's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Tyson Marsh, who posted nine points and three steals.

Hopewell has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 16-2 record this season. As for Meadowbrook, they have also been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hopewell will challenge Matoaca at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Hopewell is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 72.3 points per game this season. As for Meadowbrook, they will face off against Thomas Dale at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Thomas Dale has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last five games.