Basketball Game Preview: Northview Titans vs. Southwest DeKalb Panthers

Northview hasn't had much luck against Southwest DeKalb recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Northview Titans will take on the Southwest DeKalb Panthers at 7:30 p.m.

Northview is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Thursday. They had to suffer through a 104-53 loss at the hands of Tucker. While losing is never fun, the Titans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 462nd, while the Tigers are ranked 104th).

Meanwhile, Southwest DeKalb had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 32.2 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 71-48 margin over the Spartans. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 20 points or more this season.

Northview better focus on containing Messiah Mergan and Aaron Burks as the pair were huge in Southwest DeKalb's win. Mergan went 9 for 15 on his way to 23 points and three steals, while Burks almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds. Those 23 points gave Mergan a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Ushery, who posted nine points in addition to five assists and five boards.

Southwest DeKalb smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Southwest DeKalb pushed their record up to 15-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Northview, their loss dropped their record down to 2-15.

Northview took a serious blow against Southwest DeKalb in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 68-32. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Burks, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. Now that Northview knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.