Having just played yesterday, the East Chapel Hill Wildcats will get right back to it and host the Athens Drive Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. East Chapel Hill is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
East Chapel Hill is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Leesville Road on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. East Chapel Hill came up short against Leesville Road, falling 55-30. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 259th, while the Pride are ranked 71st).
| 12/11/24 @ Leesville Road | 2 |
| 12/10/24 @ Carrboro | 3 |
| 12/06/24 vs Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 4 |
| 12/04/24 vs Southern Lee | 4 |
| 12/03/24 @ Apex Friendship | 3 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Lauren Steiner, who posted 13 points and five rebounds. Steiner is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Alison Zaranek, who had five points and three steals.
Meanwhile, Athens Drive didn't have too much trouble with Cleveland on Tuesday as they won 56-41. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Jaguars.
East Chapel Hill better keep an eye on Quincie Toran. She was instrumental in Athens Drive's win, going 8 of 12from beyond the arc on her way to 28 points in addition to seven boards and three blocks. The dominant performance gave Toran a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Heidi Ford, who posted six points along with nine boards and five assists.
Athens Drive pushed their record up to 5-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.4 points per game. As for East Chapel Hill, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: East Chapel Hill has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Athens Drive struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
East Chapel Hill strolled past Athens Drive when the teams last played back in December of 2015 by a score of 59-45. Will East Chapel Hill repeat their success, or does Athens Drive have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
