The Triton Hawks will face off against the Smithfield-Selma Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Triton knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Smithfield-Selma likes a good challenge.
Triton will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Terry Sanford, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Triton came out on top against Terry Sanford by a score of 72-60 on Tuesday.
| 12/10/24 vs Terry Sanford | 12 |
| 12/06/24 @ E.E. Smith | 13 |
| 12/04/24 @ South Johnston | 5 |
| 12/03/24 @ Cape Fear | 7 |
| 11/20/24 vs Western Harnett | 5 |
Triton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ahmad Morris led the charge by dropping a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds. With that strong performance, Morris is now averaging an impressive 8.4 boards per game. Ro'Mello Pegues was another key player, going 8 of 16 on his way to 19 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Smithfield-Selma wound up with the same score they had in their last game (63-49), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. While losing is never fun, they can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 216th, while the Trojans are ranked 66th).
Triton will have to keep a close watch on Noah Jeter and Khalil Smith, a pair of players who had a big impact on Smithfield-Selma's prior game. Jeter posted nine points, while Smith put up six points. What's more, Jeter also racked up two steals, the most he's had since back in January.
Triton's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Smithfield-Selma, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season.
Thursday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Triton has been crazy accurate this season, having nailed 53.1% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like Smithfield-Selma struggles in that department as they've drained 54% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Triton beat Smithfield-Selma 73-66 when the teams last played back in November. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Smithfield-Selma's Lorenzo Smith, who went 8 of 13 on his way to 21 points and six rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Triton still be able to contain Smith? There's only one way to find out.
