The Richlands Wildcats pushed their score all the way to 66 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Croatan at home by a decisive 80-66 margin. While losing is never fun, Richlands can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 437th, while Croatan is ranked 169th).
Despite the loss, Richlands still got an impressive performance from Lenny Halftner-Hunter, who dropped a double-double on 28 points and 11 rebounds. Halftner-Hunter is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mekhi Mack, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Croatan's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kannon McBride, who went 7 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points and 4 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points McBride has scored all season. Trey Jones was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Richlands has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-15 record this season. As for Croatan, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Richlands will take on West Carteret at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Richlands focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Tuesday. Croatan's road trip will continue as they head out to face Swansboro at 7:30 p.m. on February 15th. One thing working in Swansboro's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 21 contests.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
