Basketball Recap: Oak City Prep Comes Up Short

After flying high against Westover on Thursday, Oak City Prep came back down to earth. The matchup between the Oak City Prep Bears and the NC GBB Academy National Eagles didn't end well, with the Oak City Prep Bears falling 55-38. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 84th, while the Eagles are ranked 17th).

Despite the loss, Oak City Prep still got an impressive performance from Sami Ward, who went 6 of 7 en route to 16 points and six rebounds. That's the most points Ward has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Sky Donaie, who posted nine points and eight rebounds.

NC GBB Academy National's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Amayah Barnes, who went 5 of 12 on her way to 13 points and seven rebounds. Barnes is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last six games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Jayla Hicks, who had seven points and four steals.

Oak City Prep's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for NC GBB Academy National, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season.

Oak City Prep didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 51-35 loss against DME Academy on the 28th. As for NC GBB Academy National, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, an 83-60 defeat against Shining Star Sports Academy on the 30th.