Basketball Game Preview: Early County Bobcats vs. Pelham Hornets

The Early County Bobcats will head out to take on the Pelham Hornets at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Early County will head into Tuesday's game on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking two-point defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Quitman County on Tuesday. Early County took their matchup with ease, bagging a 50-15 victory over Quitman County. The Bobcats pushed the score to 41-11 by the end of the third, a deficit the Hornets had little chance of recovering from.

Cardeja Watts and Ty'Jerrica Russell were among the main playmakers for Early County as the former went 6 for 14 on her way to 12 points and seven steals and the latter went 6 of 15 en route to 14 points along with eight steals and seven rebounds. That's the most steals Russell has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Saniyah Rogers, who posted eight points.

Early County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 18 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Pelham waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Cougars, sneaking past 36-34. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hornets have posted since December 10, 2024.

Pelham's win came from a few key players Early County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ja'Kieria Frazier, who earned nine points. Dezire Atkins was another key player, putting up nine points.

Early County's record is now 11-5. As for Pelham, their record is now 8-5.

Early County didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Pelham in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 39-33 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Early 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.