Even though the Sugar Creek Wildcats scored an imposing 55 points on Friday, the Palisades Pumas still came out on top. Palisades took their matchup against Sugar Creek 64-55. Given Palisades' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 159th, while Sugar Creek is ranked 378th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Palisades found their leader in underclassman Kingston Henry, who scored 21 points along with six assists. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Jyler Standifer , who scored 12 points.
Sugar Creek's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aidan Gatewood, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. The match was Gatewood's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Ajaylon Ingram- Moore, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Palisades has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Sugar Creek, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Palisades' road trip will continue as they head out to face Kings Mountain at 7:30 p.m. on December 27th. One thing working in Kings Mountain's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season. Sugar Creek will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Queen's Grant at 7:00 p.m. on January 5, 2024. Queen's Grant will be looking to keep their three-game home win streak alive.
