The Union Pines Vikings came tearing into Tuesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 39.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Gray's Creek by a score of 74-62. Given Union Pines' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 164th, while Gray's Creek is ranked 477th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Union Pines to victory were Aiden Leonard and Trent Hilburn. Leonard scored 20 points along with 9 rebounds, while Hilburn scored 23 points along with 8 rebounds and 3 steals. The contest was Hilburn's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jaylen Kyle, who scored 11 points along with 7 rebounds.
Union Pines' victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.3 points per game. As for Gray's Creek, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-4.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Union Pines will take on South Johnston at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. South Johnston is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak. Gray's Creek will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Purnell Swett at 7:30 p.m. on December 15th.
