Basketball Game Preview: Merrol Hyde Magnet Hawks vs. White House Blue Devils

The Merrol Hyde Magnet Hawks and the White House Blue Devils will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Merrol Hyde Magnet knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully White House likes a good challenge.

The home team had won the previous four meetings between Merrol Hyde Magnet and Valor College Prep, and Merrol Hyde Magnet kept the tradition alive. The Hawks were the clear victors by a 63-42 margin over the Wildcats on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Hawks have posted against the Wildcats since February 12, 2021.

Eliot Johnson

Points

11/21/25 vs Liberty Creek	7
11/24/25 @ Donelson Christian Academy	7
11/18/25 vs Christian Community	9
12/02/25 @ Pleasant View Christian	12
12/11/25 vs Gordonsville	14

Merrol Hyde Magnet found their leader in sophomore Eliot Johnson, who went 9-for-17 to rack up 25 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Johnson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Bennett Altepeter, who shot 60% from the field en route to 16 points and six boards.

Merrol Hyde Magnet was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4 assists per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 9.

Meanwhile, White House entered their matchup against White House-Heritage on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Blue Devils were outmatched by the Patriots and fell 73-46. While losing is never fun, the Blue Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 238th, while the Patriots are ranked 69th).

Merrol Hyde Magnet's victory bumped their record up to 5-6. As for White House, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Merrol Hyde Magnet was able to grind out a solid win over White House in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 64-51. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.