The Purvis Tornadoes are taking a road trip to take on the Columbia Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Purvis has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Columbia will arrive with four straight wins.
Last Tuesday, Purvis came up short against Forrest County Agricultural and fell 55-45. While losing is never fun, the Tornadoes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 221st, while the Aggies are ranked 72nd).
The losing side was boosted by Beni Raanes, who went 6 of 12 en route to 15 points along with eight boards and three steals. Another player making a difference was Jace Gipson, who posted eight points and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Columbia hadn't done well against Lawrence County recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, Columbia made off with a 41-40 victory over Lawrence County.
Columbia's win came from a few key players Purvis will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Avyon Lewis, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 17 boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last three games he's played. Bryson Foxworth was another key player, putting up 14 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
Columbia is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.8 points per game. As for Purvis, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Purvis has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 41.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Purvis was taken down by Columbia 62-34 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. Can Purvis avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
