The Keith Bears will face off against the Calhoun Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in Keith's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 21 games.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Keith walked away with it. They strolled past the Blue Devils with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 70-56. Given Keith's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 178th, while Notasulga is ranked 402nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Keith can attribute much of their success to Miles Hannah, who scored 24 points, and Tommy Tisdale III, who scored 30 points. Tisdale III is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 24 or more in the last eight games he's played.
Meanwhile, Calhoun entered their tilt with Pickens County with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Calhoun took down Pickens County 60-45 on Saturday.
Calhoun's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tyler Robertson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Kentavius Loftin, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Keith has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season. As for Calhoun, their win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-6.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the pair are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Keith hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 67.5 points per game. However, it's not like Calhoun struggles in that department as they've been averaging 67.5 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Everything came up roses for Keith against Calhoun in their previous matchup back in January of 2022 as the team secured a 74-36 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Keith since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
