The Chipley Tigers will face off against the Holmes County Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Chipley sitting on seven straight wins and the Blue Devils on four.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up nine more assists than your opponent, a fact Chipley proved on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 57-33 margin over Bay. Given Chipley's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 169th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 451st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Chipley relied on the efforts of Marlee Sullivan, who scored 12 points along with seven steals and four blocks, and Kinsleigh Hunter, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hunter has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Neveah Bellamy, who scored seven points along with 11 rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Holmes County rose to the challenge on Monday. They really took it to the Wildcats for the full four quarters, racking up a 65-10 win on the road. That looming 65-10 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Holmes County yet this season.
Emma Oost was nothing short of spectacular: she scored 17 points along with five steals. Alaysia Robinson was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five steals.
Chipley's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-8. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.1 points per game. As for Holmes County, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 13-8 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Chipley have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Holmes County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Chipley was able to grind out a solid win over the Blue Devils in their previous matchup back in January, winning 53-41. The rematch might be a little tougher for Chipley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
