The Manteo Redskins will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Hertford County Bears at 6:30 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Manteo has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Hertford County will arrive with five straight victories.
Last Thursday, Manteo came up short against Pasquotank County and fell 38-28.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Sydnee Ballance, who scored 17 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. That's the first time this season that she pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was CC Lowe, who scored two points along with 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hertford County put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 63-22 victory over Camden County. Given Hertford County's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 194th, while Camden County is ranked 448th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jaliyah Mitchell continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 25 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last nine games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklynn White, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds.
Manteo's loss dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Hertford County, they pushed their record up to 7-5 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Manteo strolled past Hertford County when the teams last played back in February of 2023 by a score of 58-39. Will Manteo repeat their success, or does Hertford County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
