Basketball Game Preview: Tanner Rattlers vs. Elkmont Red Devils

Having just played yesterday, the Tanner Rattlers will head out on the road to face off against the Elkmont Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Tanner came up into this matchup off a tough 36-point defeat on Saturday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Decatur Heritage Christian Academy by a score of 67-65 on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Rattlers have suffered since November 14, 2024.

Despite their defeat, Tanner saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kaden Freeman, who went 7 for 11 en route to 17 points along with seven assists and six boards, was perhaps the best of all. Those seven assists gave Freeman a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Elyjah Jones, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Elkmont, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They blew past Athens Bible 63-40 on Monday. The Red Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 23 points or more this season.

Elkmont has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a massive bump to their 15-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.7 points per game. As for Tanner, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-12.

Tanner beat Elkmont 55-47 in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tanner since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.