Basketball Game Preview: Marion County Warriors vs. Roane County Yellowjackets

The Marion County Warriors are taking a road trip to challenge the Roane County Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Monday, Marion County was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 70-65 to Bledsoe County. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Thursday (56), Marion County still had to take the loss.

Meanwhile, Roane County had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three two weeks ago. They blew past the Admirals 72-47. The Yellowjackets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matches by 21 points or more this season.

Marion County better keep an eye on Malachi Brown. He was instrumental in Roane County's win, dropping a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. That's the most boards Brown has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden O'Leary, who went 7-for-14 en route to 18 points and three steals.

Roane County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Roane County's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-3. As for Marion County, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9.