Holmes hasn't had much luck against Northeastern recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Holmes Aces will venture away from home to take on the Northeastern Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Holmes is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.9 points per game this season.
Last Monday, Holmes ended up a good deal behind Lakeland and lost 58-43. While losing is never fun, the Aces can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 351st in North Carolina, while the Cavaliers are ranked 168th in Virginia).
Tucker Baldwin put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 5 of 9 on his way to 13 points. Jaylen Russell also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Northeastern, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They secured a 61-57 W over Norcom on Monday.
Northeastern's win came from a few key players Holmes will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Eleck Sutton, who posted 16 points and six boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Z'Kobe Whidbee, who scored 16 points.
Northeastern's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.8 points per game. As for Holmes, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Holmes has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Northeastern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Holmes came up short against Northeastern in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 62-53. Can Holmes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
