The Neuse Charter Cougars and the Lakewood Leopards will face off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday without much rest having both just played.
Neuse Charter is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest defeat since December 9, 2024 on Tuesday. They lost 68-48 to Hobbton. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Lakewood entered their tilt with North Duplin on Tuesday with 14 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 15. They blew past the Rebels 77-57. Given the Leopards' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 220th, while the Rebels are ranked 529th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Neuse Charter better keep an eye on Cameron Williams. He was instrumental in Lakewood's win, almost dropping a double-double on 30 points and nine rebounds. That's the most points Williams has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Xavier Hall, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards.
Lakewood smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 18 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Lakewood pushed their record up to 15-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.1 points per game. As for Neuse Charter, their loss dropped their record down to 10-10.
Neuse Charter was able to grind out a solid win over Lakewood in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 57-50. Will Neuse Charter repeat their success, or does Lakewood have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
