Basketball Game Preview: Midland Trail Patriots vs. Clay County Panthers

The Midland Trail Patriots will square off against the Clay County Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

On Wednesday, Midland Trail earned a 71-62 win over PikeView.

Midland Trail got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Payton Bailes out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine rebounds. That's the most boards Bailes has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Thad Brown, who went 6 for 11 on his way to 13 points along with five assists and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Clay County). They came out on top against Calhoun by a score of 73-60 on Tuesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.

Midland Trail has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.0 points per game. As for Clay County, their win ended a 14-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 5-9.

Midland Trail beat Clay County 54-45 in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Does Midland Trail have another victory up their sleeve, or will Clay County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.