Basketball Recap: North Charleston Falls Despite Big Games from Marcus Simmons and Marco Simpson

After flying high against Burke last Saturday, North Charleston came back down to earth. The North Charleston Cougars took a 66-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of the West Ashley Wildcats. The Cougars were probably out for revenge after losing 63-55 to them when the teams met back in December of 2023, then they'll just have to keep looking.

North Charleston's loss on Monday came despite strong showings from Marco Simpson and Marcus Simmons. Simpson went 7 for 9 on his way to 22 points, while Simmons posted 17 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. That's the most points Simpson has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Richard Hazel III, who put up ten points in addition to eight boards and five assists.

Even though they lost, North Charleston smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive games.

West Ashley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Corbin Guerry led the charge by going 6 of 9 on his way to 12 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Guerry is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Damon Junior, who had ten points in addition to six steals and five boards.

North Charleston moved to 9-6 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for West Ashley, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season.

North Charleston didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 90-52 win against Military Magnet Academy on the 7th. As for West Ashley, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 50-49 victory against James Island on the 10th.