The Calhoun Yellow Jackets and the Central Lions will round out the year against one another at at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Calhoun's tournament run continued when they took on Coosa on Friday. Calhoun walked away with a 75-64 win over Coosa. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Yellow Jackets.
Jace Johns was a one-man wrecking crew for Calhoun as he went 10 of 16 en route to 23 points and six steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Trace Hawkins, who posted ten points along with seven assists and four steals.
Calhoun smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Central didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Mt. Zion on Saturday, but they still walked away with a 63-57 victory. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 66th, while the Eagles are ranked 229th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Central's win came from a few key players Calhoun will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Messiah Boykin, who went 8 of 13 on his way to 18 points in addition to seven assists and three steals. That's the most points he has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Khaven Cochran, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.
Central is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Calhoun, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Calhoun has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Calhoun came up short against Central in their previous matchup back in December of 2017, falling 87-80. Can Calhoun avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
