New Hanover has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Topsail Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Saturday, New Hanover's game was all tied up 21-21 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They managed a 55-50 win over Cardinal Gibbons. Given New Hanover's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 37th, while Cardinal Gibbons is ranked 291st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Zirhe Sellers and Tamorie Wilson were among the main playmakers for New Hanover as the former scored 11 points along with five rebounds and the latter scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Sellers continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brianna Stanley, who scored 13 points.
Meanwhile, Topsail scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They enjoyed a cozy 58-43 win over Swansboro. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Topsail.
It was another big night for Rhianna Garmendiz, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds. Garmendiz is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Emmy Clark, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten steals.
New Hanover's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-0. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.8 points per game. As for Topsail, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
New Hanover ended up a good deal behind Topsail in their previous meeting back in February, losing 55-37. Can New Hanover avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
