Basketball Game Preview: Commerce Tigers vs. Jefferson Dragons

The Commerce Tigers and the Jefferson Dragons will round out the year against one another at at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Commerce took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 56-45 win over Providence Christian Academy.

Commerce found their leader in sophomore Essien Lockleer, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 21 points along with five rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lockleer has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Peters, who posted six points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Jefferson beat Jackson County 60-49 on Friday. Given the Dragons' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Panthers are ranked 289th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Commerce pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Jefferson, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-3.

Commerce was able to grind out a solid victory over Jefferson in their previous matchup last Saturday, winning 64-54. The rematch might be a little tougher for Commerce since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.