Basketball Game Preview: McMinn County Cherokees vs. Rhea County Golden Eagles

McMinn County has won 13 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Rhea County has won 13 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The McMinn County Cherokees will host the Rhea County Golden Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with three losses in a row, McMinn County turned things around against McCallie on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Blue Tornado 44-41. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cherokees have posted since February 24, 2024.

Meanwhile, Rhea County was fully in charge on Tuesday, breezing past Meigs County 78-36. Given the Golden Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 121st, while the Tigers are ranked 282nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Rhea County is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.5 points per game. As for McMinn County, they now have a winning record of 9-8.

McMinn County didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Rhea County when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 61-55 win. Does McMinn County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rhea County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.