Basketball Game Preview: Stewart County Royal Knights vs. Early County Bobcats

Stewart County hasn't had much luck against Early County recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Stewart County Royal Knights will be playing at home against the Early County Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Stewart County will bounce into Friday's game after beating Mitchell County, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Everything went Stewart County's way against Mitchell County on Tuesday as Stewart County made off with a 67-41 victory.

Meanwhile, Early County had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They walked away with a 50-43 win over the Red Devils.

Stewart County better keep an eye on Ty'Jerrica Russell. She was instrumental in Early County's win, dropping a double-double on 17 points and 14 boards. With that strong performance, Russell is now averaging an impressive 8.2 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Cardeja Watts, who posted eight points.

Early County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 20 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Early County's victory bumped their record up to 13-5. As for Stewart County, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-9.

Stewart County came up short against Early County in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 38-27. Will Stewart County have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.