Hardwood Preview: SAC-6 tournament

Feb. 19—Sampson County will be having a hey day for the first round of conference play with longtime rivals facing off as Clinton taking on Midway boys on the court on Monday.

Clinton (8-14) v Midway (12-9) Boys

Midway High School is the host for the first round of the SAC-6 conference. The Raiders will take their gift of home field advantage as they face off against their rivals, the Clinton Dark Horses.

The Midway Raiders have been on the down since non-conference play going from a six game winning streak do unable to string a pair together for the remainder of the season. They one constant this season was their dominance over the Horses on the hardwood in both meetings.

Clinton has been on a downhill skid now since Jan. 10, not earning only two wins over Lakewood and James Kenan out of 14 games, dropping their last seven to end the season.

These two teams will face on on Monday, Feb 19 looking to spoil each other's day. The Horses and Raiders in both of their meetings held pretty much the same score, with Midway scoring 56 in both and Clinton scoring 45 and 46. On the hardwood, the intensity is apparent as neither team is willing to back down, especially, Clinton who is looking at a three game sweep from Midway, giving their nemesis bragging rights for the year. Tip off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Clinton Lady Horses (12-10) v West Bladen (4-15)

The Lady Horses are looking to take down the Knights on Monday as they face each other on the court. Clinton has held the advantage over West Bladen having knocked them down in both their games previously. However, these contests were not beatdowns mind you, as Bladen showed their teeth, despite harboring the sixth place in conference.

Clinton has been in a slump and have only won two of their last six, with one of those win coming from the Lady Knights. On paper they seem about even with the exception of points scored which belongs to Clinton by a country mile. Interestingly enough, the Lady Knights have only allowed 10 points more than the Lady Horses at 910-900, respectively.

It'll be a close one and it's anyone's game when it comes down to conference play. These two will battle it out on Monday Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.

Midway Lady Raiders (11-10) v Red Springs (5-17)

The Lady Devils will have their hands full in this game as they face the Raiders who've been gifted home court advantage for round one of the SAC-6 tournament.

Midway has had an up and down season, settiling in at just over .500 on the year. Midseason they were juggernauts, garnering seven wins in 10 games, taking losses to Union, Spring Creek and Fairmont. During their six game streak they didn't allow more than 30 points from the competition, stifling their opponents with solid fundamentals. After the Fairmont game, things went about 50/50 for the Raiders where they'd lose five of nine to close out the year.

Red Springs has been eating dirt most of the year, racking up only two pair of back to back victories and taking home the win on the road of their last game of the year.

The two times these teams have taken to the court, they've split the difference with the Devils taking the first win by 10, then the Raiders following that up with a win, separated by five points. The most glaring advantage, swinging Midway's direction, is the Lady Devils trouble on the road as they have only one win.

It will be a close one as they overall score on average is separated by just three points with the Lady Raiders holding the advantage. The game is set for Monday Feb 19, with tip at 6 p.m.

Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@clintonnc.com, X @SampsonSports or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page