Hillside has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the East Chapel Hill Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. East Chapel Hill took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hillside, who comes in off a win.
In what's become a running theme this season, Hillside gave their fans yet another huge win on Friday. They claimed a resounding 59-11 victory over Riverside-Durham at home. Given Hillside's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 79th, while Riverside-Durham is ranked 516th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hillside's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kayden Sims, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and four steals, and Samiyah Barker, who scored 16 points along with six steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Sims has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Alima Shah, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, East Chapel Hill came up short against Jordan on Tuesday and fell 49-41.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Stephanie Proa?o, who scored seven points along with four steals. Lauren Steiner was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Hillside is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. As for East Chapel Hill, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-12 record this season.
Friday's match will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Barker and Abigail Stone. Barker has been dynamite this season: she has averaged 17.6 points, 3.4 steals, and 5 rebounds. For her part, Stone has averaged 20.2 points, 3 steals, and 7.9 rebounds.
Everything came up roses for Hillside against East Chapel Hill in their previous meeting back in January as the squad secured a 64-28 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hillside since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.