Malone and Poplar Springs are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Malone Tigers just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Poplar Springs Atomics at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Malone took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 71-63 win over Liberty County.
Malone got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jamerious Sims out in front who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 18 boards. The dominant performance gave Sims a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jackson Welch, who posted 17 points along with seven boards and five assists.
Malone smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.
Poplar Springs fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They snuck past Vernon with a 64-58 victory on Tuesday.
Malone better focus on containing Baron Hall and Jamal Carnley as the pair were huge in Poplar Springs' win. Hall went 10 of 13 en route to 22 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals, while Carnley dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 assists. Carnley has been hot recently, having also posted three or more steals the last four times he's played. Hayden Hall was another key player, going 5 for 10 on his way to 10 points and five boards.
Malone's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Poplar Springs, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Malone has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Poplar Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Malone beat Poplar Springs 54-47 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Will Malone repeat their success, or does Poplar Springs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
