West Carteret has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell 71-59 to the White Oak Vikings on Monday. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 206th, while the Vikings are ranked 86th).
Despite the loss, West Carteret still got an impressive performance from Jack Bell, who posted 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jay Murray, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds.
Patriots
| 01/27/25 @ White Oak | 59-71 |
| 01/08/25 @ J.H. Rose | 56-78 |
Even though they lost, West Carteret smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 24 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
White Oak's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Trevor Highsmith, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 16 boards. Another player making a difference was Aj Strickland, who went 8 for 12 on his way to 17 points and five rebounds.
West Carteret's defeat dropped their record down to 7-4. As for White Oak, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.
West Carteret has already played their next contest, a 57-44 victory against Dixon on the 28th. As for White Oak, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 65-23 win against Richlands on the 28th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
