Independence is 8-2 against East Mecklenburg since January of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Independence Patriots will face off against the East Mecklenburg Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Independence has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 218 points over their last three matches.
On Tuesday, Independence earned a 71-58 win over Providence. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 28th, while the Panthers are ranked 300th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 02/04/25 vs Providence | 5 |
| 01/31/25 @ Garinger | 4 |
| 01/28/25 vs Charlotte Catholic | 1 |
| 01/24/25 @ Ambassador Christian School | 0 |
| 01/17/25 @ Butler | 1 |
Independence found their leader in sophomore Lusemo Macharia, who went 5 for 9 on his way to 10 points in addition to eight boards and five blocks. With that strong performance, Macharia is now averaging an impressive 2.1 blocks per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan McFarland, who posted ten points.
Independence smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, East Mecklenburg's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 55-51 hit to the loss column at the hands of Butler.
Independence pushed their record up to 17-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.2 points per game. As for East Mecklenburg, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-8.
Independence took their win against East Mecklenburg in their previous matchup back in January by a conclusive 69-45. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was East Mecklenburg's Ahmari Hicks, who went 11 of 19 en route to 29 points. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Independence still be able to contain Hicks? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
