Even though the Harlem Bulldogs scored an imposing 60 points on Wednesday, the Abbeville Panthers still came out on top. Abbeville walked away with a 68-60 victory over Harlem. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 11 more assists than your opponent, as Abbeville did.
Abbeville's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Justin Rollinson, who scored 24 points along with seven rebounds. The game was Rollinson's third in a row with at least ten points. Darius Riley was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
When it comes to explaining why Harlem lost, one person who can't be blamed is Bj Reese. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 30 points and 19 rebounds. Reese scored a full 50% of Harlem's points, the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was JAYDEN FUTRELL, who scored eight points along with six rebounds.
Abbeville pushed their record up to 2-1 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.0 points per game. As for Harlem, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-4.
Abbeville will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Lincoln County at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. Lincoln County will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak. Harlem won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Washington County at 1:45 p.m. on December 28th. Washington County knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six matches -- so hopefully Harlem likes a good challenge.
