The Middle Creek Mustangs and the Rocky Mount Gryphons will face off at 7:00 p.m. on December 29th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Middle Creek comes in on eight and Rocky Mount on five.
On Thursday, Middle Creek strolled past Cleveland with points to spare, taking the game 54-35. Given Middle Creek's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 106th, while Cleveland is ranked 229th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Middle Creek's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ava Skladanowski, who scored seven points along with four steals. Skladanowski has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last eight times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Alysia Pergerson, who scored six points along with seven rebounds and seven steals.
Rocky Mount has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 27 points or more this season. They claimed a resounding 64-12 victory over West Johnston at home. That looming 64-12 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Rocky Mount yet this season.
Rocky Mount's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but McKinley Battle led the charge by dropping a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. The match was Battle's ninth in a row with at least ten points. Keysha Mizzell was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with five assists.
Middle Creek pushed their record up to 9-2 with that victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Rocky Mount, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Middle Creek have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 29.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Rocky Mount, though, as they've been averaging only 34 rebounds per game. Given Middle Creek's sizeable advantage in that area, Rocky Mount will need to find a way to close that gap.
Middle Creek was dealt a bruising 66-34 loss at the hands of Rocky Mount in their previous meeting back in December of 2022. Thankfully for Middle Creek, Caroline Thiel (who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
