Basketball Game Preview: Washington County Golden Hawks vs. Baldwin Braves

Washington County hasn't had much luck against Baldwin recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Washington County Golden Hawks will look to defend their home court against the Baldwin Braves at 6:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Washington County is headed into the match having just suffered their closest defeat since January 2, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of Dodge County by a score of 60-57. The Golden Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite their loss, Washington County saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Aeria Hagans, who posted 17 points in addition to seven assists and five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Hagans' evening made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Jade Kitchens was another key player, putting up 12 points along with seven assists and seven boards.

Even though they lost, Washington County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2023.

Meanwhile, Baldwin blew past Westside, posting an 86-16 win. The Braves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 games by 21 points or more this season.

Baldwin is also on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 48.6 points. As for Washington County, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-5.

Washington County came out on top in a nail-biter against Baldwin in their previous matchup on Saturday, sneaking past 54-51. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Baldwin's Suri Clark, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 17 rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Washington County still be able to contain Clark? There's only one way to find out.