Basketball Game Preview: Tanner Rattlers vs. Athens Golden Eagles

Tanner is 1-6 against Athens since December of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Tanner Rattlers will host the Athens Golden Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Tanner is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Clements 83-55 on Tuesday. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Rattlers just coasted through the last quarter.

Elyjah Jones was his usual excellent self, going 11 of 13 on his way to 27 points and three steals. Those 27 points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ping Malone, who went 6 for 7 en route to 13 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Athens took on St. John Paul II on Monday. Athens took their matchup with ease, bagging a 71-41 win over St. John Paul II. The Golden Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 20 points or more this season.

Tanner's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-10. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.3 points per game. As for Athens, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 16-6.

Tanner was taken down by Athens 74-43 in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Will Tanner have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.