The Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers will head out to face off against the Pickens Blue Flame at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Blue Ridge is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Travelers Rest just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of the Devildogs by a score of 43-40. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Fighting Tigers have suffered since December 5, 2024.
| 01/03/25 @ Travelers Rest | 2 |
| 12/30/24 vs Broome | 7 |
| 12/28/24 vs Chapman | 3 |
| 12/27/24 vs Woodruff | 5 |
| 12/20/24 @ Chapman | 7 |
Despite the loss, Blue Ridge saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Opal Maralit almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine rebounds. Maralit is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Talia Maxwell, who posted four points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Pickens was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 49-43 to Seneca. The Blue Flame haven't had much luck with the Bobcats recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Pickens' defeat dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Blue Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 10-4.
Everything came up roses for Blue Ridge against Pickens in their previous matchup back in November of 2019, as the team secured a 67-35 victory. Will Blue Ridge repeat their success, or does Pickens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
