If the Cheraw Braves were riding high off their 65-35 takedown of the Buford Yellowjackets last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Cheraw fell to the Knights 73-68. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Tuesday (65), Cheraw still had to take the loss.
Cheraw lost on Friday despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Anthony Strong, who scored 22 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Strong has scored all season. TJ Ford was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Cheraw smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Central only pulled down 11 offensive rebounds.
It was another big night for Dylan Smith, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds for North Central. Smith is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Diles, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Cheraw's defeat dropped their record down to 8-15. As for North Central, their victory bumped their record up to 11-8.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Cheraw will take on the Eagles at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in South Carolina (Central is ranked 213th, while the Braves are ranked 233rd). As for North Central, they will be playing at home against the Volunteers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Andrew Jackson is looking to tack on another W to their eight-game streak on the road.
