Central Davidson is 1-9 against Oak Grove since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Central Davidson Spartans will be playing at home against the Oak Grove Grizzlies at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Central Davidson entered their tilt with Asheboro with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Central Davidson blew past Asheboro 61-27 on the road. Given Central Davidson's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 149th, while Asheboro is ranked 428th), the result on Wednesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Central Davidson's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Raegan McCarn led the charge by scoring 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Carlee Shoaf, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Oak Grove posted their biggest win since December 8, 2023 on Wednesday. They took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 65-35 win over Wheatmore. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 40-18.
Trista Charles was her usual excellent self, shooting 5-for-7 from long range and dropping a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds. She continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Cora Hadley, who scored ten points along with four steals.
Central Davidson is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for Oak Grove, their win was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-2.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Central Davidson have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Oak Grove struggles in that department as they've nailed 42.7% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Central Davidson might still be hurting after the 62-39 defeat they got from Oak Grove when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Can Central Davidson avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.