If the Maiden Blue Devils were feeling good off their 63-10 takedown of the Patton Panthers on Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Maiden took a 45-37 hit to the loss column at the hands of North Lincoln on Friday. The contest was a 23-23 toss-up at halftime, but Maiden was outscored by North Lincoln in the second.
Maiden's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Khiara Culliver, who scored eight points along with 16 rebounds. Those 16 rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Kynsea Pugh, who scored ten points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Lincoln to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ally Smith, who almost dropped a triple-double on 14 points, nine rebounds, and 11 steals. The matchup was Smith's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Addison Grice, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Maiden's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for North Lincoln, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Maiden will take on St. Stephens at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. St. Stephens is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 53.3 points per game. As for North Lincoln, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against South Iredell at 6:00 p.m. South Iredell is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
