Basketball Game Preview: Merrol Hyde Magnet Hawks vs. Red Boiling Springs Bulldogs

The Merrol Hyde Magnet Hawks will head out on the road to square off against the Red Boiling Springs Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Merrol Hyde Magnet's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six contests.

While Merrol Hyde Magnet didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They secured a 55-50 W over KIPP Nashville Collegiate on Tuesday. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 119th, while the Warriors are ranked 264th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Merrol Hyde Magnet relied on the efforts of Harrison Gill, who went 8 for 15 on his way to 20 points and five steals, and Sam Mullins, who posted 15 points and six rebounds. With that strong performance, Gill is now averaging an impressive 2.2 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Eliot Johnson, who put up six points.

Meanwhile, Red Boiling Springs was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss dating back to last season. They were beaten by Jackson County 72-30.

Merrol Hyde Magnet is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.2 points per game. As for Red Boiling Springs, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.

Merrol Hyde Magnet beat Red Boiling Springs 100-91 when the teams last played back in November of 2017. The rematch might be a little tougher for Merrol Hyde Magnet since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.