Basketball Game Preview: McLaurin Tigers vs. Clarkdale Bulldogs

McLaurin is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Clarkdale is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The McLaurin Tigers will finish 2024 at home by hosting the Clarkdale Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

McLaurin is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Holmes County Central just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell 57-50 to the Jaguars.

Despite the defeat, McLaurin saw an underclassman step up: freshman Tylon Williams went 7 for 10 on his way to 21 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Williams has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Trenton White, who posted 11 points in addition to eight boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Clarkdale didn't have too much trouble with Noxapater on Friday as they won 63-46.

McLaurin better keep an eye on Cade Culpepper. He was instrumental in Clarkdale's win, putting up 35 points along with seven steals and six boards. Those 35 points gave Culpepper a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Crowell, who put up ten points.

Clarkdale is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.4 points per game. As for McLaurin, their loss dropped their record down to 14-3.

McLaurin strolled past Clarkdale in their previous meeting back in November by a score of 68-49. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Culpepper, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 17 boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will McLaurin still be able to contain Culpepper? There's only one way to find out.