The Neuse Charter Cougars will venture away from home to face off against the Lakewood Leopards at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Neuse Charter blew past Rosewood, posting a 56-26 victory. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won four in a row.
Yedidia Tsolenyanu
| 02/07/25 vs Rosewood | 23 |
| 02/04/25 @ Hobbton | 22 |
| 01/31/25 vs North Duplin | 15 |
It was another big night for Yedidia Tsolenyanu, who posted 23 points along with seven boards and seven blocks. The match was her third in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Lily Temple, who earned 12 points in addition to seven assists and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lakewood humbled Hobbton with a 66-21 victory. Given the Leopards' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 183rd, while the Wildcats are ranked 592nd), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Neuse Charter better keep an eye on Areona McKoy. She was instrumental in Lakewood's win, dropping a triple-double on 39 points, ten boards, and ten steals. The dominant performance also gave McKoy a new career-high in field goal percentage (70%). Another player making a difference was Jahmai Rich, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 14 rebounds.
Lakewood was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They are a perfect 4-0 when they've passed the ball that well.
The victory made it two in a row for Lakewood and bumps their season record up to 15-2. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points over those games. As for Neuse Charter, their win bumped their record up to 20-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Neuse Charter has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Lakewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Neuse Charter came up short against Lakewood in their previous meeting on Wednesday, falling 54-44. Can Neuse Charter avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
