The West Johnston Wildcats will challenge the Hunt Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. West Johnston is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.6 points per game this season.
Last Tuesday, West Johnston had to suffer through a 81-41 loss at the hands of C.B. Aycock. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 430th, while the Golden Falcons are ranked 209th).
EJ Wilkins put forth a good effort for the losing side as he posted ten points and three steals. He is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Christian McFall was another key player, putting up eight points.
Meanwhile, Hunt had just enough and edged South Johnston out 56-54 on Tuesday.
Hunt's win came from a few key players West Johnston will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Na'Sir Hines, who scored 11 points in addition to six assists and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of AJ Hampton, who went 6 of 7 on his way to 14 points and five boards.
West Johnston's defeat was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Hunt, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: West Johnston has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 31.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Hunt struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
West Johnston lost to Hunt at home by a decisive 71-56 margin when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Will West Johnston have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
