The East Mecklenburg Eagles won the last time they faced the Garinger Wildcats, and things went their way on Tuesday too. East Mecklenburg really took it to the Wildcats for the full four quarters, racking up a 71-41 win on the road. Given East Mecklenburg's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while the Wildcats are ranked 531st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
East Mecklenburg was led to victory by Jordan Buzzard and Bryson Heath. Buzzard dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds, while Heath scored 25 points along with five assists and five steals. Buzzard hasn't dropped below two blocks for four straight games. Ahmari Hicks was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Garinger's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jordan Camara, who scored 12 points, and Rae Bennett who scored nine points along with two steals. It was the first time this season that Bennett grabbed two or more steals.
East Mecklenburg's win bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Garinger, their defeat was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-17.
East Mecklenburg will take on the Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Butler focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 12 on Tuesday. As for Garinger, they will head out on the road to take on the Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Independence focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up eight on Tuesday.
