After flying high against the North Iredell Raiders last Wednesday, the North Lincoln Knights came back down to earth. North Lincoln took a 63-55 hit to the loss column at the hands of St. Stephens on Friday. North Lincoln has not had much luck with St. Stephens recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Ally Smith and Ashlyn Black certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Smith scored 21 points along with five steals, while Black dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. Smith continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Addison Grice was another key contributor, scoring seven points.
St. Stephens' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Molli Harris led the charge by scoring 27 points along with six assists and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Harris has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kennedy Blevins, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
North Lincoln has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-4 record this season. As for St. Stephens, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. North Lincoln will take on Foard at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in North Carolina (Foard is ranked 159th, while North Lincoln is ranked 147th). St. Stephens on the road again on Tuesday and play against East Lincoln at 6:30 p.m. on January 16th. East Lincoln will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
