The Veterans Warhawks had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 80-57 margin over Thomas County Central. Given Veterans' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 117th, while Thomas County Central is ranked 287th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Veterans' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Chandler Thomas led the charge by dropping a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas hasn't dropped below 15points for nine straight games. Another player making a difference was Tristen Abner, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Despite the defeat, Thomas County Central had strong showings from Charlie Dunbar IV, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Quincy Anderson, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. That's the first time this season that Anderson scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Abe Smith, who scored six points along with three steals.
Veterans pushed their record up to 12-5 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Thomas County Central, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-8.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Veterans will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Warner Robins at 5:30 p.m. on January 20th. One thing working in Warner Robins' favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last eight matchups. As for Thomas County Central, they will head out on the road to take on Lee County at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.