The Stuart W. Cramer Storm will take on the Lincolnton Wolves in a tournament on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Stuart W. Cramer has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Lincolnton will arrive with six straight wins.
Stuart W. Cramer is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Kings Mountain on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Stuart W. Cramer came up short against Kings Mountain, falling 70-45. The Storm were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-9.
| 12/19/24 vs Kings Mountain | 5 |
| 12/03/24 vs East Gaston | 4 |
| 12/13/24 vs Ashbrook | 2 |
| 12/11/24 vs East Lincoln | 1 |
| 12/06/24 @ East Rutherford | 1 |
Despite the defeat, Stuart W. Cramer saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Gavin Jordan posted ten points and five assists. Those five assists set a new season-high mark for Jordan. Another player making a difference was Makhi Brown, who put up six points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lincolnton was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Newton-Conover 81-43. The Wolves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 22 points or more this season.
Lincolnton's win came from a few key players Stuart W. Cramer will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was LJ Smith IV, who went 8 of 18 on his way to 23 points in addition to five boards and three steals. His evening made it eight games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cam Smith, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Lincolnton's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1. As for Stuart W. Cramer, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Stuart W. Cramer has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Lincolnton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Stuart W. Cramer was dealt a bruising 93-51 loss at the hands of Lincolnton in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Smith IV, who posted 40 points and eight rebounds. Now that Stuart W. Cramer knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
