Calhoun has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Keith Bears at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Calhoun had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They strolled past the Tornadoes with points to spare, taking the game 60-45. Given Calhoun's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 158th, while Pickens County is ranked 325th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Calhoun's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tyler Robertson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Kentavius Loftin, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Keith didn't have too much trouble with Notasulga on the road on Saturday as they won 70-56.
Keith's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Miles Hannah, who scored 24 points, and Tommy Tisdale III, who scored 30 points. Tisdale III has been hot recently, having posted 24 or more points the last eight times he's played.
Calhoun pushed their record up to 18-6 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.3 points per game. As for Keith, they have been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's matchup: Calhoun have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 44.5% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Keith, though, as they've only made 0.61% of their threes this season. Given Calhoun's sizable advantage in that area, Keith will need to find a way to close that gap.
Calhoun took a serious blow against Keith in their previous matchup back in January of 2022, falling 74-36. Can Calhoun avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
