The North Cross Raiders will head out on the road to challenge the Carlisle Chiefs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Even though Virginia Episcopal School scored an imposing 56 points on Thursday, North Cross still came out on top. North Cross secured a 60-56 W over Virginia Episcopal School.
North Cross' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jaziel Hart led the charge by dropping a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Hart scored 15 or more points. Antonio Mack was another key contributor, scoring 21 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Carlisle waltzed into their match on Saturday with two straight wins but they left with three. They came out on top against George Washington by a score of 65-54. Given Carlisle's advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 58th, while George Washington is ranked 252nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Branson Leduc-Mattox and Trey Beamer were among the main playmakers for Carlisle as the former scored 17 points along with five steals and two blocks and the latter scored 21 points along with five assists and three steals. Beamer continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jameer Reynolds, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds.
North Cross pushed their record up to 8-6 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.7 points per game. As for Carlisle, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season.
Wednesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: North Cross have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Carlisle, though, as they've been averaging only 26.2 rebounds per game. Given North Cross' sizeable advantage in that area, Carlisle will need to find a way to close that gap.
North Cross came up short against Carlisle in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, falling 68-63. Can North Cross avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
