Preview: Escambia County Blue Devils vs. Jackson Aggies
Escambia County has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Jackson Aggies at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Monday, Escambia County was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 65-59 to Hillcrest.
Despite the loss, Escambia County had strong showings from Stephen Williams, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Cleo Bolar jr., who scored 23 points along with two steals. That was a full 39% of Escambia County's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Michael French was another key contributor, scoring six points.
Meanwhile, Jackson put the finishing touches on their tenth blowout victory of the season on Monday. They blew past Citronelle 75-53. The win was familiar territory for Jackson who now have seven in a row.
Jackson found their leader in underclassman Keeyun Chapman, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. Chapman continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Joseph Taylor, who scored 18 points.
Escambia County's defeat dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Jackson, they pushed their record up to 17-2 with that win, which was their seventh straight on the road.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Escambia County have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 28.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jackson struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 28.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Escambia County came up short against Jackson when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 67-59. Will Escambia County have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
