The Jackson Aggies will head out on the road to square off against the Escambia County Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Jackson is looking to tack on another W to their seven-game streak on the road.
Jackson put the finishing touches on their tenth blowout victory of the season on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 75-53 margin over Citronelle. Given Jackson's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 69th, while Citronelle is ranked 342nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jackson found their leader in underclassman Keeyun Chapman, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. Chapman hasn't dropped below two blocks for six straight games. Joseph Taylor was another key contributor, scoring 18 points.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Escambia County's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They took a 65-59 hit to the loss column at the hands of Hillcrest. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Escambia County's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Stephen Williams, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Cleo Bolar jr. who scored 23 points along with two steals. That was a full 39% of Escambia County's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael French, who scored six points.
Jackson's victory bumped their record up to 17-2. As for Escambia County, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-6.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Jackson hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 67.9 points per game. It's a different story for Escambia County, though, as they've been averaging only 53.9 points per game. The only thing between Jackson and another offensive beatdown is Escambia County. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Jackson was able to grind out a solid victory over Escambia County in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, winning 67-59. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jackson since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
