East Columbus has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Union Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. East Columbus' defense has only allowed 29.4 points per game this season, so Union's offense will have their work cut out for Union.
Last Wednesday, East Columbus was able to grind out a solid win over South Brunswick, taking the game 53-44. Given East Columbus' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 19th, while South Brunswick is ranked 304th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
East Columbus' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Malia J. graham, who scored 15 points along with 5 rebounds, and Malayah Hines, who scored 20 points along with 8 steals and 5 assists. That makes it five consecutive games in which J. graham has scored at least 25% of East Columbus' points. Shamiah Johnson was another key contributor, scoring 4 points.
Meanwhile, Union waltzed into Thursday's game with three straight wins but they left with four. They strolled past Jones with points to spare, taking the game 51-32.
It was another big night for Ariyona Spearman, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 rebounds. The contest was her sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Centavia McKoy, who scored 10 points along with 8 rebounds and 6 steals.
East Columbus' win bumped their season record to 5-0 while South Brunswick's defeat dropped theirs to 1-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: East Columbus have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.8 per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
East Columbus strolled past Union in their previous meeting back in November by a score of 52-33. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Union's Spearman, who scored 13 points along with 4 steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will East Columbus still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
