Basketball Game Preview: Hayesville Yellowjackets vs. Jackson Day Mariners

The Hayesville Yellowjackets will head out to take on the Jackson Day Mariners at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Hayesville is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest loss since January 31st on Saturday. They were beaten by Cherokee 63-24. While losing is never fun, the Yellowjackets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 227th, while the Braves are ranked 21st).

Mallory Peck put forth a good effort for the losing side as she posted six points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Jackson Day lost to Queen's Grant on the road by a 62-45 margin on Saturday. The defeat continues a trend for the Mariners in their matchups with the Stallions: they've now lost three in a row.

Hayesville will have to contain Laylah Toscano as she made an impact in Jackson Day's last game. She dropped a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards. The dominant performance gave Toscano a new career-high in rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Amyia Martin, who had four points along with 11 boards and four steals.

Even though they lost, Jackson Day smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in eight consecutive games.

Jackson Day's loss dropped their record down to 16-10. As for Hayesville, their defeat dropped their record down to 16-11.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hayesville has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jackson Day struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.