Basketball Recap: Chris Johnson Key Part of a Team Effort in Mavericks Win

After losing to Hough the last time they met, Mallard Creek decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The Mallard Creek Mavericks skirted past the Hough Huskies 47-45. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Mavericks have posted since November 27, 2024.

Mallard Creek's win on Thursday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Chris Johnson, who went 5 for 12 en route to 17 points and three steals. Those three steals gave Johnson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Troy Griffin, who posted seven points along with seven boards and five steals.

Mallard Creek was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hough only racked up six assists.

Several Huskies players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jadah Freeman, who put up 11 points. Another player making a difference was Evan Otto, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten rebounds.

Mallard Creek is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 8-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points per game. As for Hough, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 7-7.

Mallard Creek has already played their next game, a 74-28 win against West Mecklenburg on the 14th. As for Hough, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 58-56 victory against Harding University on the 14th.