The East Columbus Gators's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fifth straight loss. They fell to Whiteville 60-54. East Columbus found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post 12 fewer assists than your opponent.
When it comes to explaining why East Columbus lost, one person who can't be blamed is Cainan Patrick. Despite the final result, he scored 19 points along with seven rebounds. That was a full 35.2% of East Columbus' points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Jaquise Smith was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Whiteville got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Will Fisher out in front who scored 19 points. Another player making a difference was Amari Best, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds and six steals.
East Columbus' loss dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Whiteville, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-9.
East Columbus will head out on the road to take on Purnell Swett at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hopefully Purnell Swett focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 last Friday. As for Whiteville, they will be playing in front of their home fans against East Bladen at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
