There's no place like home for West Carteret, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against the New Bern Bears by a score of 56-45 on Tuesday. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 149th, while the Bears are ranked 313th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Carteret's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nehemiah Hester led the charge by going 6 of 13 on his way to 12 points in addition to seven assists and seven boards. Hester has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jack Bell, who posted 11 points and four steals.
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West Carteret smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 21 consecutive games dating back to last season.
When it comes to explaining why New Bern lost, don't look at Jussan Wiggins. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. Wiggins also grabbed five steals, which is notable because New Bern is 4-2 when he posts at least five steals, but 1-2 otherwise. Ivion Smith was another key player, putting up eight points along with five assists and five boards.
West Carteret pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.5 points per game. As for New Bern, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 5-4.
West Carteret wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 71-66 win against Jacksonville on the 6th. As for New Bern, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 60-50 loss against South Central on the 3rd.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
