The R.J. Reynolds Demons pushed their score all the way to 59 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 70-59 to West Forsyth. While losing is never fun, R.J. Reynolds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 221st, while West Forsyth is ranked 45th).
R.J. Reynolds' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Antoine Jones Jr., who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds, and Evan Truzy who scored ten points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. That was a full 35.6% of R.J. Reynolds' points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamison Johnson, who scored seven points along with three steals.
West Forsyth's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jacari Brim led the charge by scoring 15 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Brim has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Cameron White, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
R.J. Reynolds' defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-6. As for West Forsyth, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 11-2.
R.J. Reynolds won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Triad Baptist Christian Academy at 3:00 p.m. on January 13th. One thing working in Triad Baptist Christian Academy's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last five matchups. West Forsyth won't have much time to rest: their next game is against McMichael at 1:30 p.m. on January 13th. McMichael is coming into the matchup on a six-game losing streak.
