Basketball Game Preview: Columbia Wildcats vs. Jefferson Davis County Jaguars

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Columbia Wildcats duke it out with the Jefferson Davis County Jaguars at 5:30 p.m. on Friday... The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Columbia has three straight wins, Jefferson Davis County has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Columbia earned a 57-44 victory over West Marion.

Columbia relied on the efforts of Christian Expose, who went 8 for 18 on his way to 21 points and five assists, and Avyon Lewis, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 22 boards. Expose's evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tra Lewis, who posted four points and five boards.

Columbia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Jefferson Davis County came up short against Lawrence County on Tuesday and fell 66-55. While losing is never fun, the Jaguars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 223rd, while the Cougars are ranked 84th).

Columbia's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-7. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.0 points per game. As for Jefferson Davis County, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.

Columbia came up short against Jefferson Davis County when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 67-54. Can Columbia avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.