Douglas County is 6-1 against the Patriots since January of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Douglas County Tigers will look to defend their home court against the Paulding County Patriots at 3:30 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Georgia (Douglas County is ranked 213th, while the Patriots are ranked 199th).
Douglas County's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of Alexander by a score of 52-50. Douglas County found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post seven fewer assists than your opponent.
Despite their loss, Douglas County saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Reagan Freeman, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Freeman is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kyla Neal, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, Paulding County didn't have too much breathing room in their match against the Cougars on Friday, but they still walked away with a 56-52 win.
Paulding County found their leader in underclassman Hope Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 14 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Johnson has scored all season. Alexus Wilson was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Douglas County has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-11 record this season. As for Paulding County, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Douglas County have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Paulding County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Douglas County came up short against the Patriots in their previous meeting on Saturday, falling 54-50. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Wilson, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine rebounds. Now that Douglas County knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
