The Lanier Bulldogs will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Brookhaven Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Lanier's recent rough patch got a bit rougher two weeks ago after their third straight loss. They took a 61-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Terry. While losing is never fun, Lanier can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 190th, while Terry is ranked 17th).
Meanwhile, after a string of eight wins, Brookhaven's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell 57-48 to South Jones. Brookhaven has not had much luck with South Jones recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Despite their defeat, Brookhaven saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jaylen Haliburton, who scored 17 points, was perhaps the best of all. The contest was Haliburton's ninth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kordell Collins, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds.
Lanier's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Brookhaven, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-3.
