Preview: Leroy Bears vs. Citronelle Wildcats
The Leroy Bears will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Citronelle Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. The pair have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Leroy and 12 for Citronelle.
Leroy fought the good fight in their overtime match against Washington County on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 62-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs. While losing is never fun, Leroy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 203rd, while Washington County is ranked 91st).
Despite the defeat, Leroy had strong showings from Chauncey Dixon, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 19 rebounds, and Marley Dixon, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds. Dixon hasn't dropped below two blocks for five straight games. Makayla Payne was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with nine rebounds.
Citronelle suffered their biggest defeat since December 11, 2023 on Tuesday. They had to suffer through a rough 50-20 loss at the hands of Faith Academy. Citronelle has struggled against Faith Academy recently, as their match on Tuesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Leroy's defeat dropped their record down to 9-7. As for Citronelle, their loss was their 12th straight at home, which dropped their record down to 1-13.
Everything came up roses for Leroy against Citronelle in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 50-16 victory. Will Leroy repeat their success, or does Citronelle have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
