The Hickory Red Tornadoes put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past St. Stephens 81-61. Hickory has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 20 points or more this season.
Hickory got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jay Powell out in front who scored 20 points. It was the first time this season that Powell scored 15 or more points. Izaiah Littlejohn was another key contributor, scoring 17 points.
St. Stephens lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Javian White, who scored 15 points along with six assists and five rebounds. White hasn't dropped below 15 points for eight straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah VanBeurden, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Hickory's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-0. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 82.9 points per game. As for St. Stephens, their loss dropped their record down to 11-9.
Hickory will head out on the road to square off against North Iredell at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hickory knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight matchups -- so hopefully North Iredell likes a good challenge. As for St. Stephens, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against North Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. North Lincoln has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,489 points over their last 19 matches.
