While it was all tied up 29-29 at halftime, the Asheville Cougars were not quite the Enka Jets's equal in the second half on Tuesday. Asheville fell just short of Enka by a score of 62-59. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Asheville in their matchups with Enka: they've now lost nine in a row.
Several Cougars players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Zeke Garris, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and five steals. Another player making a difference was Aris Joyner, who scored seven points along with 13 rebounds and five assists.
Sam Waddell was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 25 points and ten rebounds for Enka. That makes it three consecutive games in which Waddell has scored at least a third of Enka's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Trantham, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds.
Asheville's defeat dropped their record down to 5-10. As for Enka, the win got them back to even at 8-8.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Asheville won't have much time to rest: their next game is against North Buncombe at 7:30 p.m. on January 24th. North Buncombe is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 73.4 points per game. As for Enka, they will head out on the road to take on A.C. Reynolds at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
