Poplar Springs and Malone are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Poplar Springs Atomics will head out on the road to face off against the Malone Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Poplar Springs is coming into the matchup on the come-up as their season has now been buoyed by two straight victories. They snuck past Vernon with a 64-58 win on Tuesday.
| 01/14/25 vs Vernon | 12 |
| 12/17/24 vs Northside Methodist Academy | 9 |
| 11/25/24 @ Vernon | 9 |
| 12/06/24 vs Bethlehem | 8 |
| 12/04/24 vs Rocky Bayou Christian | 7 |
Poplar Springs relied on the efforts of Baron Hall, who went 10 of 13 on his way to 22 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals, and Jamal Carnley, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 assists. The dominant performance gave Carnley a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Hall, who went 5 for 10 en route to 10 points and five boards.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Malone, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They walked away with a 71-63 victory over Liberty County on Thursday.
Malone's win came from a few key players Poplar Springs will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jamerious Sims, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 18 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jackson Welch, who posted 17 points along with seven boards and five assists.
Malone smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.
Malone's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Poplar Springs, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Poplar Springs has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Malone struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Poplar Springs came up short against Malone in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 54-47. Can Poplar Springs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
