Basketball Game Preview: Commerce Tigers vs. Rabun County Wildcats

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Commerce Tigers duke it out with the Rabun County Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday... Commerce is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.3 points per game this season.

Commerce is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Banks County just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell 64-51 to the Leopards.

Despite the defeat, Commerce saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Essien Lockleer went 7 of 13 on his way to 17 points in addition to five assists and five steals. Lockleer has become a key player for Commerce: the team is 12-6 when he posts at least three steals, but 1-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Evan Peters, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.

Even though they lost, Commerce smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Rabun County entered their tilt with Elbert County on Monday with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. They claimed a resounding 91-64 win over the Blue Devils. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 25 points or more this season.

Rabun County is also on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-3 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 28.5 points. As for Commerce, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-8.

Commerce came up short against Rabun County when the teams last played on January 4th, falling 59-53. Will Commerce 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.