The Hartsville Red Foxes suffered their biggest loss since December 19, 2023 on Friday. Their rough 68-45 defeat to Wilson might stick with them for a while. While losing is never fun, Hartsville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 162nd, while Wilson is ranked 12th).
Hartsville lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being EJ Smith, who scored eight points. The team also got some help courtesy of Casey Hawkins, who scored six points along with five rebounds.
It was another big night for Tristan Thompson, who scored 25 points along with seven rebounds and three steals for Wilson. Thompson has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last eight times he's played. Another player making a difference was Josh Leonard, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Hartsville has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost eight of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-13 record this season. As for Wilson, the victory was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 17-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hartsville's homestand continues as they prepare to take on South Florence at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. South Florence knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past four contests -- so hopefully Hartsville likes a good challenge. As for Wilson, they will be playing in front of their home fans against North Myrtle Beach at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. North Myrtle Beach is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
