Basketball Game Preview: Taylor County Vikings vs. Manchester Blue Devils

Taylor County is 2-8 against Manchester since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Taylor County Vikings will head out to challenge the Manchester Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.

Manchester will be up against a hot Taylor County squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Taylor County simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Webster County 71-42. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 180th, while Webster County are ranked 533rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Manchester entered their tilt with Harris County on Saturday with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. They breezed by the Tigers to the tune of 79-36. The Blue Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 31 points or more this season.

Manchester's win came from a few key players Taylor County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jhiere Terry, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Dre Mcghee, who posted 16 points along with five boards and three steals.

Manchester pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.3 points per game. As for Taylor County, their victory bumped their record up to 12-3.

Taylor County barely slipped by Manchester when the teams last played back in December of 2024, winning 43-42. The rematch might be a little tougher for Taylor County since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.