E.E. Smith is 5-0 against the Trojans since January of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The E.E. Smith Golden Bulls will be playing in front of their home fans against the Harnett Central Trojans at 7:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Tuesday, it was a hard-fought match, but E.E. Smith had to settle for a 55-53 defeat against the Jaguars. E.E. Smith has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Derek Green and Deshaun Barton. Barton had a solid game and scored 13 points along with five rebounds. Meanwhile, Green did his best for the losing side, scoring 11 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Harnett Central struggled with three-point shooting accuracy on Tuesday (the Wolverines were 27% better) and sadly the final score reflected it. Harnett Central took a hard 65-46 fall against the Wolverines. Harnett Central has not had much luck with the Wolverines recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Despite their defeat, Harnett Central saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Rylan Beasley, who scored six points along with six rebounds and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Kemaury Haywood, who scored eight points.
E.E. Smith has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. As for Harnett Central, their defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-9.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's match: E.E. Smith have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 41.3% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Harnett Central, though, as they've only made 29.5% of their threes this season. Given E.E. Smith's sizable advantage in that area, the Trojans will need to find a way to close that gap.
E.E. Smith beat the Trojans 63-53 in their previous meeting back in January. Will E.E. Smith repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
