The Pender Patriots's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 55-42 to Seventy-First. Pender was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Seventy-First apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2022.
Seventy-First was led to victory by Mariyah Massey and Kariana Williams. Massey scored 14 points along with seven assists and three steals, while Williams scored 17 points along with seven steals. The game was Williams' seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jewel Gully, who scored six points along with ten rebounds and three steals.
Pender's loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Seventy-First, their victory bumped their record up to 3-6.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pender will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on South Columbus at 6:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024. South Columbus is on a four-game streak of home losses, Pender a seven-game streak of away losses (dating back to last season), but someone's luck is about to change. Seventy-First won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Westover at 12:00 p.m. on December 21st. Westover presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Seventy-First in North Carolina (Westover is ranked 88th, while Seventy-First is ranked 351st).
