Basketball Recap: Jazziyah Smith Key Part of a Team Effort in Wildcats Win

After losing to West Brunswick the last time they met, New Hanover decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The New Hanover Wildcats were the clear victor by a 54-33 margin over the West Brunswick Trojans on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Wildcats have posted against the Trojans since January 18, 2022.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead New Hanover to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jazziyah Smith, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 boards. Those 13 rebounds gave Smith a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Maleah Moses Braxton, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten boards.

New Hanover smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

West Brunswick's loss came despite strong showings from Ja'Kya Johnson and Saniya Stanley. Johnson posted ten points and five rebounds, while Stanley scored four points along with seven boards and five blocks.

New Hanover has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.9 points per game. As for West Brunswick, they have been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 12 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10 record this season.

New Hanover has already played their next contest, a 48-39 win against Ashley on the 31st. As for West Brunswick, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 55-43 defeat against Topsail on the 31st.