Basketball Game Preview: Flagler Panthers vs. Elbert Bulldogs

The Flagler Panthers will head out to challenge the Elbert Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Flagler has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with five straight losses, while Elbert will come in with five straight wins.

It was a proper cat-fight when Flagler took on Burlington on Friday. The matchup between Flagler and Burlington didn't end well, with Flagler falling 68-50.

Meanwhile, Elbert hadn't done well against Evangel Christian Academy recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Elbert narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Evangel Christian Academy 60-57. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Bulldogs have posted since December 4, 2024.

Elbert has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a massive bump to their 7-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.6 points per game. As for Flagler, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.

Flagler took a serious blow against Elbert in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 77-10. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Elbert's Eli Cornell, who went 7 of 9 from beyond the arc on his way to 27 points along with seven boards and five steals. Now that Flagler knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.