Alexander Central has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Alexander Central Cougars and the St. Stephens Indians will round out the year against one another at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at. Hopefully Alexander Central focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 13 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, things could have been worse for Alexander Central, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 68-50 loss to Davie. While losing is never fun, Alexander Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 246th, while Davie is ranked 27th).
Alexander Central's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jayon Connor, who scored 19 points, and Carter Fortner who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds. The matchup was Connor's third in a row with at least ten points. Chad Lasher was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, St. Stephens scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 81-58 margin over West Iredell. The victory was just what St. Stephens needed coming off of a 64-44 defeat in their prior matchup.
St. Stephens got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jonah Long out in front who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds. Those 14 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Noah VanBeurden, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds.
Alexander Central now has a losing record at 5-6. As for St. Stephens, they pushed their record up to 5-3 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Alexander Central have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for St. Stephens, though, as they've been averaging only 32.5 rebounds per game. Given Alexander Central's sizeable advantage in that area, St. Stephens will need to find a way to close that gap.
Alexander Central beat St. Stephens 43-33 in their previous meeting back in December of 2022. Does Alexander Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Stephens turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
