Richlands is 2-8 against West Carteret since December of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Richlands Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the West Carteret Patriots at 6:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Richlands earned a 44-32 win over Swansboro. The win was just what Richlands needed coming off of a 55-26 loss in their prior game.
Richlands can attribute much of their success to Jordyn Fisher, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and four steals, and Mia Wells, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 18 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wells has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Lenayah Jackson, who scored five points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 22 to 14 on the offensive boards, a fact West Carteret proved on Friday. They escaped with a win against Swansboro by the margin of a single free throw, 38-37. The win made it back-to-back wins for West Carteret.
West Carteret got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ella Holmes out in front who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Holmes is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Skyler Setzer, who scored 11 points along with seven steals and five rebounds.
Richlands is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. As for West Carteret, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Monday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Richlands have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 37.2 rebounds per game. It's a different story for West Carteret, though, as they've been averaging only 36.9 rebounds per game. Given Richlands' sizeable advantage in that area, West Carteret will need to find a way to close that gap.
Richlands might still be hurting after the 48-28 defeat they got from West Carteret when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Can Richlands avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
