Basketball Game Preview: Neuse Charter Cougars vs. Oxford Prep Griffins

The Neuse Charter Cougars and the Oxford Prep Griffins will round out the year against one another at at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Neuse Charter is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.8 points per game this season.

Two weeks ago, Neuse Charter lost to Wake Prep Academy on the road by a 72-54 margin. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 377th, while the Guardians are ranked 118th).

Despite the defeat, Neuse Charter got top-tier performance from Klayton Tew, who posted 21 points. Those 21 points gave Tew a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Donolyon Tyrell, who had seven points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Oxford Prep might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Falls Lake an easy 65-39 victory. The Griffins have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Neuse Charter's loss was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Oxford Prep, they now have a losing record at 5-6.

Neuse Charter didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Oxford Prep when the teams last played back in November of 2018, but they still walked away with a 56-52 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Neuse Charter since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.