Basketball Game Preview: Dublin Fighting Irish vs. Southwest Patriots

Dublin is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Southwest is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Dublin Fighting Irish will take on the Southwest Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

While Dublin didn't have the best season last year (they finished 12-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 56-49 victory over Wilkinson County on Saturday.

Dublin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Javion Harris led the charge by going 7 of 8 on his way to 17 points. That's the most points Harris has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Tristian Bell, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Southwest beat East Laurens 76-71 on Tuesday.

Southwest's win came from a few key players Dublin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brandon Ashley, who went 9 of 11 on his way to 24 points and five steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Dupree, who went 8 of 14 on his way to 22 points and six rebounds.

Southwest's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Dublin, their victory bumped their record up to 5-0.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Dublin has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29 boards per game. However, it's not like Southwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything went Dublin's way against Southwest in their previous meeting back in January of 2020, as Dublin made off with a 57-37 win. Does Dublin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Southwest turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.