Basketball Game Preview: Roane County Raiders vs. Clay County Panthers

The Roane County Raiders will venture away from home to square off against the Clay County Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Clay County took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Roane County, who comes in off a win.

Roane County took a loss when they played away from home back in December of 2024, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 66-49 victory over Webster County. The Raiders' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Roane County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cam Cumpston led the charge by dropping a double-double on 19 points and ten boards. The dominant performance also gave Cumpston a new career-high in assists (eight). Another player making a difference was Will Odle, who almost dropped a double-double on 25 points and nine rebounds.

Roane County was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 70-31, which was the final score in Clay County's tilt against Buffalo on Tuesday. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Bison: they've now lost six in a row.

Roane County's win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-4. As for Clay County, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.

Roane County took their victory against Clay County when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 46-22. The rematch might be a little tougher for Roane 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.