Two dominant forwards in Elyjah Jones and Khalil Luster are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Tanner Rattlers will square off against the Red Bay Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tanner knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three matches -- so hopefully Red Bay likes a good challenge.
Tanner is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They secured a 57-51 W over Cold Springs. The Rattlers haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Elyjah Jones
| 01/27/25 @ Decatur Heritage Christian Academy | 15 |
| 01/24/25 @ West Limestone | 13 |
| 11/26/24 vs Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering | 12 |
| 12/28/24 @ Hanceville | 11 |
| 12/06/24 vs Clements | 11 |
| + 23 more games |
It was another big night for Jones, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. Tanner is 5-2 when Jones posts ten or more boards, but 9-12 otherwise. Cade Dorning was another key player, putting up 11 points and three steals.
Meanwhile, Red Bay was able to grind out a solid win over Covenant Christian on Saturday, taking the game 42-29. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 138th, while the Eagles are ranked 413th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Red Bay found their leader in freshman Luster, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Luster is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last ten games he's played.
Red Bay is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.4 points over those games. As for Tanner, the victory got them back to even at 14-14.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Tanner has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.7 boards per game. It's a different story for Red Bay, though, as they've been averaging only 11.7 rebounds. Given Tanner's sizable advantage in that area, Red Bay will need to find a way to close that gap.
Tanner skirted past Red Bay 50-47 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Does Tanner have another victory up their sleeve, or will Red Bay turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
