The Nitro Wildcats had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 58-43 victory over Point Pleasant. Given Nitro's advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked seventh, while Point Pleasant is ranked 582nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Nitro to victory were Ty Stephens and Ashton Crouch. Stephens scored 19 points, while Crouch almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds. Stephens is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 16 or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Poniatowski, who scored five points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Point Pleasant's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josh Chapman, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Grant Barton, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Nitro's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-1. As for Point Pleasant, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-10.
Nitro won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Wayne at 7:00 p.m. on February 3rd. One thing working in Nitro's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four games. As for Point Pleasant, they will be playing at home against Grafton at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.
