The Baldwin Braves will venture away from home to square off against the Harlem Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Baldwin knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight games -- so hopefully Harlem likes a good challenge.
Last Thursday, Baldwin strolled past West Laurens with points to spare, taking the game 64-50. Given the Braves' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 89th, while the Raiders are ranked 264th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Karez Demory continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 6 for 14 on his way to 28 points and eight rebounds. Deven Nelson was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Harlem earned a 52-42 win over Aquinas on Saturday.
Harlem's win came from a few key players Baldwin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jayden Futrell, who posted 11 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Horatio Shaffer III, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 boards.
Harlem has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.0 points per game. As for Baldwin, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Baldwin has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Harlem struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Baldwin against Harlem in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, as the team secured an 84-48 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Baldwin since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
