Alexander is 8-2 against Paulding County since February of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Alexander Cougars will look to defend their home court against the Paulding County Patriots at 7:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 14 more assists than your opponent, a fact Alexander proved on Thursday. They secured a 43-39 W over South Paulding. The win was just what Alexander needed coming off of a 58-19 loss in their prior match.
Alexander found their leader in underclassman Nimah Ibidunni, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ibidunni hasn't dropped below two blocks for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Elon Williams, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Paulding County didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Newnan on Saturday, but they still walked away with a 59-54 win. The victory was just what Paulding County needed coming off of a 82-42 loss in their prior matchup.
Paulding County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kayla Manigault led the charge by scoring 17 points along with five steals. It was the first time this season that Manigault scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexus Wilson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Alexander has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 14-10 record this season. As for Paulding County, the victory got them back to even at 13-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Alexander have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Paulding County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Alexander came out on top in a nail-biter against Paulding County in their previous meeting back in January, sneaking past 48-45. Will Alexander repeat their success, or does Paulding County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
