On Thursday, the Philip Barbour Colts faced the North Marion Huskies in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Philip Barbour managed a 59-54 win over North Marion. This was payback for Philip Barbour, who suffered a 88-58 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Philip Barbour's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Izzy Knotts, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. Knotts is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Arrington Sparks, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten steals.
Despite the loss, North Marion had strong showings from Emma Freels, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Aubrey Hamilton, who scored eight points along with 13 rebounds and two steals. Brooklynn Jackson was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five assists and four steals.
Philip Barbour pushed their record up to 9-1 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.6 points per game. As for North Marion, their loss ended a 13-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 4-4.
Philip Barbour will head out on the road to face off against Nitro at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Nitro is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 54.7 points per game. North Marion won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Sissonville at 3:00 p.m. on January 12th. Hopefully Sissonville focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 13 last Tuesday.
