Preview: Rocky Bayou Christian Knights vs. Niceville Eagles
Two dominant guards in Devin Hicks and Fred Libby are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Rocky Bayou Christian Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Niceville Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Rocky Bayou Christian's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last six games.
Even though Rocky Bayou Christian has not done well against Freeport recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Rocky Bayou Christian took down Freeport 64-47.
Rocky Bayou Christian's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Calix McCune, who scored 22 points, and Hicks, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 assists. Hicks is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Lathan Johnson was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Meanwhile, in a tight matchup that could have gone either way, Niceville made off with a 44-43 win over Fort Walton Beach. The win made it back-to-back wins for Niceville.
Niceville can attribute much of their success to Jackson Hamman, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds, and Jackson Kowal, who scored ten points along with two steals. Another player making a difference was Ayden Campbell, who scored seven points along with six rebounds.
Rocky Bayou Christian pushed their record up to 9-8 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.7 points per game. As for Niceville, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-11 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's contest: Rocky Bayou Christian have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 6.7 threes per game. It's a different story for Niceville, though, as they've been averaging only 5.8 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Rocky Bayou Christian came up short against Niceville in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 58-50. Will Rocky Bayou Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
