The Richlands Wildcats will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Lejeune Devil Pups at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Richlands will be strutting in after a victory while Lejeune will be coming in after a defeat.
Even though Richlands has not done well against East Duplin recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way two weeks ago. Richlands came out on top in a nail-biter against East Duplin and snuck past 54-51. The victory was just what Richlands needed coming off of a 77-43 loss in their prior contest.
Richlands relied on the efforts of Lenny Haftner-Hunter, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and six assists, and Jayden Biggs, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Haftner-Hunter has scored at least 25% of Richlands' points. The team also got some help courtesy of KeAndre Mattocks, who scored seven points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lejeune's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They fell 65-56 to Lakewood. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Despite the loss, Lejeune had strong showings from Elijah Winston, who scored 21 points along with three steals, and Devon Charles, who scored 19 points along with nine rebounds. The contest was Charles' fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Trevor Highsmith, who scored 13 points.
Richlands' victory bumped their record up to 3-6. As for Lejeune, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 4-4.
Richlands couldn't quite finish off Lejeune when the teams last played back in November and fell 66-63. Will Richlands have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
