Basketball Game Preview: East Mecklenburg Eagles vs. Garinger Wildcats

East Mecklenburg is 10-0 against Garinger since December of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The East Mecklenburg Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Garinger Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. East Mecklenburg knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matchups -- so hopefully Garinger likes a good challenge.

It was a Battle of the Birds when East Mecklenburg challenged Rocky River on Tuesday. East Mecklenburg blew past Rocky River 72-47. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 99th, while the Ravens are ranked 247th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

East Mecklenburg relied on the efforts of Ahmari Hicks, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 22 points and five rebounds, and Jordan Buzzard, who went 6 of 9 on his way to 14 points along with six boards and four blocks. With that strong performance, Hicks is now averaging an impressive 15.7 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Vance Johnson, who posted six points.

Meanwhile, Garinger ended up a good deal behind Sugar Creek Charter on Wednesday and lost 66-51. Garinger hasn't had much luck with Sugar Creek Charter recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.

East Mecklenburg's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Garinger, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.

Everything came up roses for East Mecklenburg against Garinger in their previous meeting back in January, as the team secured a 71-41 victory. Will East Mecklenburg repeat their success, or does Garinger have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.