After flying high against Richlands last Tuesday, White Oak came back down to earth. The White Oak Vikings fell 84-76 to the Croatan Cougars on Friday. The Vikings were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Cougars earlier this season, when they won 64-56.
Zarion Hobbs
| 02/07/25 vs Croatan | 32 |
| 11/23/24 vs Sanderson | 26 |
| 12/14/24 @ Cardinal Gibbons | 23 |
| 01/18/25 vs South Mecklenburg | 22 |
| 12/20/24 @ Topsail | 18 |
Despite the defeat, White Oak saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Zarion Hobbs went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points along with seven assists and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hobbs has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Trevor Highsmith, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, White Oak was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.
Croatan got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Trey Jones out in front who went 12 of 22 on his way to 37 points and six boards. That makes it three consecutive games in which Jones has scored at least a third of Croatan's points. Kannon McBride was another key player, dropping a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
White Oak's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 13-6. As for Croatan, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-5.
White Oak wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 75-35 win against Dixon on the 11th. As for Croatan, they have also already played their next matchup, an 82-58 victory against Richlands on the 11th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
