Basketball Game Preview: Decatur Red Raiders vs. Athens Golden Eagles

The Decatur Red Raiders will challenge the Athens Golden Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Last Tuesday, Decatur was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 70-66 to Lawrence County.

Meanwhile, Athens hadn't done well against Hartselle recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Athens came out on top against Hartselle by a score of 54-41.

Athens is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.8 points per game. As for Decatur, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-13 record this season.

Decatur couldn't quite finish off Athens in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 and fell 49-47. Will Decatur have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.