Two dominant players in Cyrus Page and Zymari Buck are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Pender Patriots will jump right back in to play the New Bern Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Pender will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 331st, while New Bern is ranked 158th).
On Thursday, Pender suffered a tough 67-45 loss at the hands of Wallace-Rose Hill. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Pender in their matchups with Wallace-Rose Hill: they've now lost five in a row.
Despite their loss, Pender saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Demarius White, who scored eight points, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points White has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Malcolm Driver, who scored seven points.
Meanwhile, even though Coastal Christian scored an imposing 58 points on Wednesday, New Bern still came out on top. New Bern took down Coastal Christian 72-58. That looming 72-58 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for New Bern yet this season.
Pender's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for New Bern, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season.