The Pender Patriots lost against the Whiteville Wolfpack back in January of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. Pender was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 42-41 to Whiteville. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Pender in their matchups with Whiteville: they've now lost six in a row.
Despite the loss, Pender still got an impressive performance from Jamiah Johnson, who scored 19 points along with two steals. It was the first time this season that Johnson grabbed two or more steals. Shamiah Johnson was another key contributor, scoring three points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Pender were working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Whiteville only posted three assists.
Whiteville's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Serenity Harvey, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds. Harvey is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ceonna Dennis, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 14 rebounds.
Pender has not been sharp recently as the team's lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season. As for Whiteville, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 7-9.
Pender will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against West Columbus at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully Pender focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up nine on Tuesday. As for Whiteville, they will head out on the road to challenge East Columbus at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. East Columbus presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Whiteville in North Carolina (East Columbus is ranked 96th, while Whiteville is ranked 394th).
