East Carteret is 9-1 against Lejeune since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The East Carteret Mariners will be staying on the road to face off against the Lejeune Devil Pups at 7:30 p.m. on February 8th. One thing working in East Carteret's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last nine matchups.
While it was all tied up 34-34 at halftime, East Carteret was not quite Pamlico County's equal in the second half on Friday. They received a tough blow as they fell 82-65 to the Hurricanes. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
East Carteret's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Shamel Baker, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten assists, and Charles Matheka who scored 24 points along with two steals and two blocks. Baker also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Brady Doans was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the contest if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Lejeune's strategy against Northside - Pinetown on Tuesday. Lejeune put the hurt on Northside - Pinetown with a sharp 84-59 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Lejeune.
It was another big night for Trevor Highsmith, who almost dropped a double-double on 30 points and nine rebounds. He hasn't dropped below 17 points for eight straight games. Another player making a difference was Devon Charles, who scored 22 points.
East Carteret's loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-8. As for Lejeune, the victory got them back to even at 10-10.
East Carteret took their victory against Lejeune when the teams last played back in January by a conclusive 80-54. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Highsmith, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will East Carteret still be able to contain Highsmith? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
