South Brunswick and West Brunswick are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The South Brunswick Cougars will head out on the road to take on the West Brunswick Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully South Brunswick focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 last Wednesday.
South Brunswick's recent rough patch got a bit rougher after their third straight loss. They took a 70-53 bruising from Laney. While losing is never fun, South Brunswick can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 481st, while Laney is ranked 39th).
Despite their loss, South Brunswick saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jeremiah Ellis, who scored eight points, was perhaps the best of all. Ellis continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Jaleel Morgan was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
West Brunswick won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Tuesday. They were beaten by North Brunswick 68-30. West Brunswick was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 51-21.
Despite the defeat, West Brunswick had strong showings from K'Veon Griffin, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Tristen Roberts, who scored six points.
West Brunswick struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as North Brunswick racked up 12 assists.
South Brunswick's defeat was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 3-11. West Brunswick's record now sits at 5-10.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: South Brunswick have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 39.2% of their threes per game. However, it's not like West Brunswick struggles in that department as they've only nailed 36.1% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
South Brunswick came up short against West Brunswick when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 62-49. Can South Brunswick avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
