The New Hanover Wildcats put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Couldn't have asked for a better start to 2024 than the 62-33 blowout they got on the road against Ashley. Given New Hanover's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked sixth, while Ashley is ranked 316th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
New Hanover was led to victory by Nolan Billings and Rodmik Allen. Billings scored 20 points along with seven rebounds, while Allen dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten assists. That makes it four consecutive games in which Allen has scored at least 25% of New Hanover's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zeus Batts, who scored eight points along with five steals.
Despite the loss, Ashley still got an impressive performance from Coen Locklear, who scored 24 points along with five rebounds. The game was Locklear's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Quinn Bentley was another key contributor, scoring six points.
New Hanover's win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. As for Ashley, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season.
New Hanover will be playing in front of their home fans against North Brunswick at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. North Brunswick knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past 13 matchups -- so hopefully New Hanover likes a good challenge. As for Ashley, they will head out on the road to face off against West Brunswick at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
