The Washington County Panthers just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Martin County Knights at 7:30 p.m. on February 13th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Washington County's strategy against Gates County on Monday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Washington County blew Gates County out of the water with a 82-40 final score. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Washington County had established a 33 point advantage.
It was another big night for Amari Chesson, who scored 22 points along with five assists and two steals. He hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. Lavale Norman was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Martin County scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They blew past North East Carolina Prep 81-39 on the road. Given Martin County's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 289th, while North East Carolina Prep is ranked 633rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Washington County's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.2 points per game. As for Martin County, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season.
Washington County was able to grind out a solid victory over Martin County in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 63-56. The rematch might be a little tougher for Washington County since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
