Basketball Game Preview: Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets vs. Northside Eagles

Thomas County Central is 6-0 against Northside since January of 2023 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets will host the Northside Eagles at 6:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Thomas County Central's favor as the squad sits on six straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Northside has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.

Thomas County Central picked up another tournament win on Saturday. They came out on top against Mitchell County by a score of 51-40. Given the Yellow Jackets' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 169th, while the Eagles are ranked 387th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Thomas County Central's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jaden Crews, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards, and A'Riyah Hall, who posted eight points along with 18 boards and four steals. Crews is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Jaida Rice was another key player, putting up eight points.

Thomas County Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 20 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Northside suffered their closest loss since December 5, 2023 on Saturday. They fell just short of Mundy's Mill by a score of 41-39.

Thomas County Central is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.1 points per game. As for Northside, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.

Thomas County Central didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Northside in their previous meeting back in February, but they still walked away with a 65-61 victory. Does Thomas County Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Northside turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.