Basketball Game Preview: Paulding County Patriots vs. McEachern Indians

The Paulding County Patriots will challenge the McEachern Indians at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Paulding County's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three matchups.

Paulding County took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They really took it to South Cobb for the full four quarters, racking up a 68-32 victory. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 22 points or more this season.

Hope Johnson

Blocked Shots

01/09/25 vs South Cobb	3
12/13/24 @ Pebblebrook	2
12/15/23 @ Harrison	2
02/02/24 @ Newnan	2
11/11/23 vs Cartersville	2

Paulding County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hope Johnson led the charge by dropping a double-double on 18 points and 17 rebounds. What's more, Johnson also racked up three blocks, the most she's had since back in November of 2023. Lillie Harris was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 18 points and nine rebounds.

Paulding County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, McEachern came up short against Campbell on Thursday and fell 47-34. While losing is never fun, the Indians can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 180th, while the Spartans are ranked 14th).

Paulding County is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.8 points per game. As for McEachern, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.

Paulding County was able to grind out a solid win over McEachern when the teams last played back in December of 2024, winning 49-41. Will Paulding County repeat their success, or does McEachern have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.