The Portal Panthers waltzed into their match on Tuesday with three straight wins but they left with four. They walked away with a 57-44 victory over McIntosh County Academy. Given Portal's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while McIntosh County Academy is ranked 192nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Portal to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kj Hunter, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hunter has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Amir Jackson, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Despite the defeat, McIntosh County Academy had strong showings from Brandon Johnson, who scored 20 points, and Mj Quarterman, who scored 11 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. Quarterman is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Derrick Irons was another key contributor, scoring five points along with two steals.
Portal pushed their record up to 15-1 with that victory, which was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.3 points per game. As for McIntosh County Academy, their defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-5.
Portal will head out on the road to square off against Jenkins County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Jenkins County's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last three matchups. As for McIntosh County Academy, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Savannah Classical Academy at 7:30 p.m.
