Kings Mountain and Ashbrook are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2022, but not for long. The Kings Mountain Mountaineers will venture away from home to square off against the Ashbrook Greenwave at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Kings Mountain knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matches -- so hopefully Ashbrook likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Kings Mountain came up short against Crest and fell 72-63. While losing is never fun, the Mountaineers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 176th, while the Chargers are ranked 46th).
Ethan Daniel
| 02/14/25 vs Crest | 60% |
| 01/29/25 @ Burns | 50% |
| 12/27/24 vs East Rutherford | 50% |
| 01/03/25 @ Shelby | 43% |
| 02/12/25 @ Forestview | 33% |
Despite the loss, Kings Mountain had strong showings from Ethan Daniel, who went 5-for-9 to rack up 15 points, and Xavier Hutchens, who posted nine points along with six boards and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Daniel a new career-high in three-point shooting accuracy (60%). KJ Bell also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steal of the season.
Even though they lost, Kings Mountain smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ashbrook). They snuck past Huss with a 95-89 victory on Friday. The win was nothing new for the Greenwave as they're now sitting on three straight.
Ashbrook's win came from a few key players Kings Mountain will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Issac Byers Jr., who went 9-for-17 en route to 29 points in addition to eight assists and six rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in each of the last three games he's played. Jamari Smith was another key player, going 11-for-22 on his way to 24 points along with six assists and six boards.
Ashbrook's record is now 21-3. As for Kings Mountain, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests, which has put a noticeable dent in their 13-11 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kings Mountain has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ashbrook struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kings Mountain lost to Ashbrook on the road by a decisive 84-66 margin when the teams last played back in January. Can Kings Mountain avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
