Basketball Game Preview: McIntosh Chiefs vs. Starr's Mill Panthers

The McIntosh Chiefs and the Starr's Mill Panthers will compete for holiday cheer at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

McIntosh will head into Saturday's match after some sweet revenge against Heritage: McIntosh made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Heritage, but still couldn't quite topple them. McIntosh took their game on Saturday with ease, bagging a 61-27 victory over Heritage. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Chiefs as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Starr's Mill beat East Coweta 52-47 on Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.

Starr's Mill found their leader in sophomore Lindsey Kopacek, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 19 boards. Kopacek is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: she's pulled down at least ten every time she's taken the court this season. Sophia Olson was another key player, putting up nine points along with eight rebounds and six assists.

Starr's Mill smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in seven consecutive contests.

Starr's Mill is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points per game. As for McIntosh, their victory bumped their record up to 3-5.

Things could have been worse for McIntosh, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 62-46 loss to Starr's Mill in their previous matchup back in January. Can McIntosh avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.