The Hoke County Bucks scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 82-55 victory over Union Pines. Given Hoke County's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 175th, while Union Pines is ranked 368th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jaylen Sturdivant was his usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. He has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Salah Sutton, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Union Pines' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jaylen Kyle, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds, and Kingsley Donaldson who scored 17 points along with six rebounds. Kyle is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played.
Hoke County's victory bumped their record up to 10-6. As for Union Pines, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 9-6.
Hoke County will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Pinecrest at 7:30 p.m. on January 19th. Hopefully Pinecrest focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 last Tuesday. As for Union Pines, they will play host again and welcome Southern Lee, where tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Southern Lee knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past four contests -- so hopefully Union Pines likes a good challenge.
