Basketball Game Preview: Appling County Pirates vs. Claxton Tigers

Appling County is a perfect 3-0 against Claxton since December of 2023 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Appling County Pirates will head out on the road to face off against the Claxton Tigers at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Appling County has nine straight wins, Claxton has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Appling County is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Crisp County: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Appling County blew Crisp County out of the water with a 60-24 final score. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 20 points or more this season.

Keniyah White

Points

02/07/25 vs Crisp County	21
02/04/25 @ Berrien	40
02/01/25 vs Tattnall County	19
01/30/25 @ Cook	15
01/28/25 @ Pierce County	23
+ 7 more games

Appling County relied on the efforts of Keniyah White, who posted 21 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals, and Perri Mitchell, who had six points along with 12 boards and five steals. White's evening made it 12 games in a row in which she has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Makayla Williams, who earned five points.

Meanwhile, Claxton took a blow against Bryan County on Friday, falling 63-30. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 454th, while the Redskins are ranked 105th).

Appling County pushed their record up to 16-7 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.6 points over those games. As for Claxton, their loss dropped their record down to 6-17.

Everything came up roses for Appling County against Claxton when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the squad secured a 68-26 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Appling 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.