The East Mecklenburg Eagles will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Piedmont Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
East Mecklenburg pushed their score all the way to 55 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 67-55 to Marvin Ridge. East Mecklenburg has been going strong on the season, but this is now their second loss in a row.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Ahmari Hicks, who scored 19 points. He scored a full 34.5% of East Mecklenburg's points, the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Bryson Heath was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five assists.
East Mecklenburg struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Piedmont's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their third straight loss. They took a 43-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Harding University. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Piedmont has scored all season.
East Mecklenburg's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-3. As for Piedmont, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.
East Mecklenburg took their victory against Piedmont when the teams last played on December 5th by a conclusive 74-54. With East Mecklenburg ahead 36-14 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
