The West Charlotte Lions waltzed into their contest Friday with three straight wins but they left with four. They escaped with a win against Hopewell by the margin of a single free throw, 64-63. The victory was all the more spectacular given West Charlotte's disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 155th, while Hopewell is ranked 29th).
West Charlotte's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brandon Blakeney, who scored 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Littlejohn, who scored nine points along with 11 rebounds.
West Charlotte pushed their record up to 5-2 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.3 points per game. As for Hopewell, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-1.
West Charlotte will head out on the road to face off against Nation Ford at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopewell will take on Concord Academy in a holiday battle at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at.
