Recap: Marianna Bulldogs vs. Malone Tigers
The Marianna Bulldogs entered their tilt with the Malone Tigers with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Marianna blew past Malone 72-48. Given Marianna's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 64th, while Malone is ranked 550th), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Marianna to victory were Nikyan Harvey and Ryan Peace. Harvey scored 19 points along with two steals, while Peace scored 17 points along with nine rebounds and eight steals. Jayden Holmes was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Malone's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jackson Welch, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds, and Jamir Smith who scored 12 points. Welch has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamerious Sims, who scored six points along with eight rebounds.
Marianna's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.0 points per game. As for Malone, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-11.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Marianna will take on Maclay at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Malone, they will be playing at home against Sneads at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
