Basketball Game Preview: Legacy Early College Lions vs. J.L. Mann Patriots

The Legacy Early College Lions will square off against the J.L. Mann Patriots at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Legacy Early College earned a 64-52 win over Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked sixth in South Carolina, while the Eagles are ranked 51st in Georgia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, J.L. Mann entered their tilt with Greenville on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They enjoyed a cozy 72-55 victory over the Red Raiders.

J.L. Mann's win came from a few key players Legacy Early College will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jade Hailstock, who went 6 of 12 en route to 18 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. The matchup was her third in a row with at least ten points. Imari Richardson was another key player, dropping a double-double on 12 points and ten boards.

J.L. Mann was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.

Legacy Early College has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. As for J.L. Mann, they pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road.