Basketball Recap: Deon Simpkins' Big Game Can't Quite Lead South Aiken over Aiken

South Aiken lost against Aiken back in February of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Wednesday. The South Aiken Thoroughbreds fell 72-61 to the Aiken Fighting Green Hornets.

South Aiken lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Deon Simpkins, who went 8 for 19 on his way to 19 points and six assists. Those six assists gave Simpkins a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kyson McLeod, who went 7 of 13 en route to 15 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists.

Aiken's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Julian Graham, who went 8 for 12 on his way to 23 points. Graham is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Tre'Von Walker was another key player, going 6 of 15 en route to 19 points along with five boards and three steals.

South Aiken has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season. As for Aiken, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 10-10.

South Aiken will take on Gilbert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. South Aiken is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.2 points per game this season. As for Aiken, they will challenge North Augusta at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Aiken knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully North Augusta likes a good challenge.