Basketball Recap: Tuesday's Victory Is East Lincoln's 13th in Last 14 Outings

You're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for East Lincoln on Tuesday. They took down the Foard Tigers 57-40. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 98th, while the Tigers are ranked 209th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading East Lincoln to victory were Taniyah Thomas and Lane Pethel. Thomas posted 13 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds, while Pethel dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards. Thomas is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 22 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Maddie Matz, who earned six points.

East Lincoln smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

Despite the defeat, Foard saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jessica Bailey had 19 points in addition to six boards and three steals. Bailey is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Leah Akel, who scored six points and four steals.

East Lincoln is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. As for Foard, their loss dropped their record down to 12-9.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. East Lincoln will host St. Stephens at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. East Lincoln knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven contests -- so hopefully St. Stephens likes a good challenge. As for Foard, they will be playing at home against North Lincoln at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. North Lincoln will roll in looking for their 20th straight win, something Foard surely won't give up without a fight.