Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 23 to 4 on the offensive boards, a fact the Pamlico County Hurricanes proved on Thursday. They walked away with a 58-47 victory over Northside - Pinetown. The victory was all the more spectacular given Pamlico County's disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 380th, while Northside - Pinetown is ranked 175th).
Pamlico County got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Sydney Whitley-Reese out in front who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 18 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Whitley-Reese pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Dania Galvan-Veliz, who almost dropped a triple-double on ten points, 13 rebounds, and nine blocks.
Northside - Pinetown's loss came despite strong showings from Mariah Jones and Madison Scheffler. Jones scored 13 points along with six rebounds and five assists, while Scheffler scored 12 points along with six blocks and two steals. Jones is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Oliviajane Cahoon, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Northside - Pinetown struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Pamlico County's victory bumped their record up to 4-9. As for Northside - Pinetown, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-1.
Pamlico County the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Martin County at 6:00 p.m. on January 11th. Martin County is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak. Northside - Pinetown won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Bear Grass Charter at 6:00 p.m. on January 5th. Hopefully Bear Grass Charter focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 last Wednesday.
