The Lee County Yellow Jackets pushed their score all the way to 57 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 68-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of Hoke County. While losing is never fun, Lee County can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 409th, while the Bucks are ranked 184th).
Lee County's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nic Farrow, who scored 13 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Ronnie Hooker, who scored ten points along with four steals and two blocks.
Hoke County's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Salah Sutton, who scored 21 points along with three steals. Brandon Graham was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Lee County has not been sharp recently as the team's lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season. As for Hoke County, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 13-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lee County is on the road again on Thursday and plays the Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. on February 1st. Hopefully Overhills focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Tuesday. As for Hoke County, they will head out on the road to challenge the Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Richmond is on a five-game streak of home wins, the Bucks a three-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court.
