Basketball Recap: Aiden Leonard and Jaylen Kyle Secure Win for Union Pines

Southern Lee typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Union Pines proved too difficult a challenge. They managed a 77-71 win over the Southern Lee Cavaliers. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Vikings' disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 248th, while the Cavaliers are ranked 64th).

Union Pines was led to victory by Jaylen Kyle and Aiden Leonard. Kyle went 6 for 14 en route to 19 points and three steals, while Leonard posted 17 points and five rebounds. That's the most points Leonard has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Kolby Scruton, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 11 points.

Union Pines has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. As for Southern Lee, with the loss, they broke their 13-game winning streak and moved their record to 13-1.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Union Pines will square off against Pinecrest at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Pinecrest will roll in looking for their fifth straight win, something Union Pines surely won't give up without a fight. As for Southern Lee, they will challenge Lee County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Lee County is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54 points per game this season.