Basketball Game Preview: Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes vs. Cherokee Bluff Bears

The Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes will head out on the road to take on the Cherokee Bluff Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.

Monroe Area is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest loss since December 27, 2024 on Monday. They came up short against Bleckley County, falling 53-31. The game marked the Purple Hurricanes' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Meanwhile, after a string of 12 wins, Cherokee Bluff's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 86-85 to Jefferson. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Bears came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Dragons are ranked 66th).

This is the second loss in a row for Monroe Area and nudges their season record down to 6-13. As for Cherokee Bluff, their defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 18-2.

Monroe Area opened the new year with a less-than-successful 65-53 loss to Cherokee Bluff. Can Monroe Area avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.