If the Bertie Falcons were riding high off their 48-21 takedown of the Tarboro Vikings last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Bertie was outmatched by Hertford County at home and fell 64-31. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Bertie in their matchups with Hertford County: they've now lost seven in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Bertie lost on Saturday, one person who can't be blamed is Rakiyah Peele. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 67.7% of Bertie's points, marking the 12th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Bertie struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Hertford County racked up 13 assists.
Hertford County had a senior duo take command as Jaliyah Mitchell shot 4-for-6 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 26 points and ten rebounds and Adarielle Townsell dropped a triple-double on ten points, 14 rebounds, and ten assists. Townsell has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 21 times she's played. Brooklynn White was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with two steals.
Bertie's defeat dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Hertford County, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 15 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-7 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Bertie will take on Perquimans at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Perquimanspresents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Bertie in North Carolina (Perquimans is ranked 96th, while Bertie is ranked 337th). As for Hertford County, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Manteo at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hertford County has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
