Basketball Game Preview: McKenzie Tigers vs. Elba Tigers

The McKenzie Tigers will head out to square off against the Elba Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (McKenzie has three straight wins, Elba has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

McKenzie will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Brantley, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. McKenzie narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Brantley 51-48. The win was all the more spectacular given the Tigers' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 252nd, while the Bulldogs are ranked 83rd).

McKenzie's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Quay Jackson, who almost dropped a triple-double on 17 points, ten rebounds, and nine steals. Jackson is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jay Jackson, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 15 boards.

Meanwhile, Elba was beaten by Ariton 75-41 on Friday.

McKenzie's win bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Elba, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.