Northern Nash is 8-2 against Franklinton since January of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Northern Nash Knights will head out on the road to square off against the Franklinton Rams at 7:30 p.m. One thing working in Northern Nash's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last seven matches.
Northern Nash's and Nash Central's game on Tuesday was close at halftime, but Northern Nash turned on the heat in the second half with 51 points. Northern Nash simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Nash Central 76-48 at home. Given Northern Nash's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 147th, while Nash Central is ranked 573rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Izeal Mallory II continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 20 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Randall King, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Franklinton didn't have too much trouble with Bunn at home on Friday as they won 62-48. 62 seems to be a good number for Franklinton as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
It was another big night for Markelle Massenburg, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 11 rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 18 or more in the last four games he's played. Sean Smith was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Northern Nash is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. As for Franklinton, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Northern Nash have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Franklinton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northern Nash beat Franklinton 53-45 when the teams last played back in January. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Franklinton's Darius Slankard, who scored 18 points. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Northern Nash still be able to contain Slankard? There's only one way to find out.
