The Chatham Central Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Bartlett Yancey Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up nine more assists than your opponent, a fact Chatham Central proved on Friday. They walked away with a 65-55 win over Southeast Alamance. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Chatham Central.
Chatham Central's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Reid Albright, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds. Albright is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 14 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Gilliland, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 19 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bartlett Yancey had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They claimed a resounding 68-30 victory over Graham at home. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Bartlett Yancey has managed all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Bartlett Yancey to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kelmontrae Willis, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds. That's the first time this season that Willis scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Matthew Sidney, who scored 17 points.
Chatham Central's victory bumped their record up to 14-2. As for Bartlett Yancey, their victory bumped their record up to 4-8.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Chatham Central have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 44.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Bartlett Yancey struggles in that department as they've made 49.5% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Chatham Central was able to grind out a solid win over Bartlett Yancey in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 53-42. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Sidney, who scored 19 points along with four steals and two blocks. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Chatham Central still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
