The Independence Patriots waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins but they left with three. They had just enough and edged East Mecklenburg out 57-54. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Independence also won the last time the pair played back in January.
Independence's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaleb Jasper led the charge by scoring 11 points along with three steals. Jasper is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Tosh Alberga was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with seven rebounds.
East Mecklenburg's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Ahmari Hicks, who scored 17 points, and Jordan Buzzard who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds. Buzzard is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last six games he's played. Another player making a difference was Bryson Heath, who scored eight points along with seven assists.
Independence's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-5. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.4 points per game. As for East Mecklenburg, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-11 record this season.
Independence will be playing at home against Rocky River at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Independence has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 203 points over their last three contests. As for East Mecklenburg, they will head out on the road to square off against Charlotte Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Charlotte Catholic focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up ten on Friday.
