The Alexander Central Cougars were the 43-33 winner over the St. Stephens Indians when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Alexander Central fell just short of St. Stephens by a score of 51-48. Alexander Central has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Several Cougars players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Chad Lasher, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayon Connor, who scored nine points along with six assists and five rebounds.
Leading St. Stephens to victory were Noah VanBeurden and Jonah Long . VanBeurden scored 15 points, while Long dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Those 17 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Alan Wilson, who scored two points.
Alexander Central has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season. As for St. Stephens, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-3.
Alexander Central won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Foard at 10:30 a.m. on December 28th. Hopefully Foard focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Wednesday. St. Stephens won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Maiden at 4:30 p.m. on December 28th. Maiden presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than St. Stephens in North Carolina (Maiden is ranked 105th, while St. Stephens is ranked 244th).
