Basketball Game Preview: Rabun County Wildcats vs. Commerce Tigers

Having just played yesterday, the Rabun County Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Commerce Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Rabun County's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

On Monday, Rabun County humbled Elbert County with a 91-64 victory. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 25 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Commerce's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell 64-51 to Banks County.

Despite the loss, Commerce saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Essien Lockleer went 7 for 13 on his way to 17 points in addition to five assists and five steals. Lockleer is becoming a predictor of Commerce's success: when he posts at least three steals the team is 12-6 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Evan Peters was another key player, almost dropping 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 boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Rabun County has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 contests, 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 defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-8.

Rabun County didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Commerce in their previous meeting on January 4th, but they still walked away with a 59-53 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rabun County since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.