Two dominant guards in Jakira Brown and Systren Eliza Elenus are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Columbia Wildcats will head out on the road to square off against the Purvis Tornadoes at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Columbia is coming into the contest hot, having won their last eight games.
In what's become a running theme this season, Columbia gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 62-33 win over Sumrall at home. Given Columbia's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 77th, while Sumrall is ranked 274th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Brown, who scored 25 points. She is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last nine games she's played. Another player making a difference was Payshunce Sims, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, Purvis escaped with a win last Thursday against Sumrall by the margin of a single free throw, 46-45.
Purvis' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lillee Crider led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and 17 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Crider has scored all season. Breleigh Adkins was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Columbia is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season. As for Purvis, their victory bumped their record up to 10-6.
Everything came up roses for Columbia against Purvis in their previous meeting on January 9th as the squad secured a 56-27 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Columbia since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
