Full Court Press for Monday, Tuesday
MONDAY
Jackson Christian (4-2) at Crockett County (6-0) (Boys)
Players to watch: Jackson Christian’s Garrett Hopkins, Crockett County’s Carlos Sharp
Last season: Series was split with each winning at home. Crockett County won 55-50, while Jackson Christian won 49-40.
Notes: Can Crockett County continue its undefeated season or will Jackson Christian get its first win over a Class AA opponent? Both of the Eagles losses have come against a team in District 13-AA (Obion County). Crockett County will have to find a way to stop Jackson Christian’s inside game, while the Eagles will have to figure out a way to stop Josh Welch, who is playing with the hot hand right now.
TUESDAY
Bolivar (0-5) at North Side (1-2) (Boys)
Players to watch: Bolivar’s Christian Clark, North Side’s Mychael Robinson
Earlier this season: North Side won 70-58 on the road on Nov. 29.
Notes: The Tigers kept this game close until North Side pulled away late. Bolivar is hungry for its first win, and this team wants it to come in this one. North Side hasn’t played as many games in the early season as the new players try to jell, so two wins in a row would be big for the program.
Bradford (4-3, 1-2) at Humboldt (5-0, 2-0) (Boys)
Players to watch: Bradford’s Marquez Pirtle, Humboldt’s Carlton Childs
Last season: Humboldt won both meetings (65-54 and 64-53).
Notes: Bradford suffered a tough loss on Friday to South Fulton, and that loss puts more pressure on the Red Devils to perform better in this one, if they want to contend for the district title. Humboldt beat that same South Fulton team by 38 points. The Vikings haven’t had much competition as their closest win was by 14 points over USJ to open the season.
Middleton (2-1) at TCA (2-2) (Girls)
Players to watch: Middleton’s Sequoya Warren, TCA’s Brynne Lytle
Last season: Middleton won all three meetings, winning 57-20 and 61-55 during the regular season and 65-39 in the region semifinals.
Notes: The two teams expected to reach the District 15-A title game face off on the opening night of the district schedule. If TCA can pull off the win, that would be a signature win in the first half of the season. Middleton has now won 69 of its last 71 games with the losses coming against Gibson County and Haywood.
USJ (5-1) at Munford (4-2) (Girls)
Player to watch: USJ’s Kallie Pickens
Last season: Teams split two meetings with USJ winning 45-38 and Munford winning 44-42.
Notes: USJ seems to be back in a rhythm after beating Chester County and Dyer County in its last two games. The Lady Bruins won at Dyer County, and now they will try to win against another AAA team on the road. Munford did beat Dyersburg this past week, and the Lady Trojans are USJ’s lone loss.
Haywood (2-4) at Lexington (4-2) (Girls)
Players to watch: Haywood’s Wandarkyu Young, Lexington’s Kyla Taylor
Last season: Lexington beat Haywood 54-47 in the lone meeting.
Notes: If Haywood loses again to Memphis Central on Monday, the Lady Tomcats will be looking to break a three-game losing streak in this one. Haywood has played tough teams for their four losses, so now is the time to see if the Lady Tomcats can come back to the Class AA level and win. This is the first of three home games for Lexington — with Dyersburg and Scotts Hill being the other two.
Peabody (2-5, 1-1) at Gibson County (4-4, 2-0) (Girls)
Players to watch: Trenton Peabody’s Rae’vianna Clark; Gibson County’s Allie Smithson
Last season: Gibson County won all three meetings. The Lady Pioneers won 64-53 and 50-47 during the regular season and won 47-40 in the district title game.
Notes: These two played for the District 14-A title last season, and they could possibly do it again. Peabody is still working to get in a groove with multiple players scoring double digits each night. Gibson County has already played eight games with five of those being against Class AA competition.
Dresden (3-2, 0-0) at Gleason (6-0, 0-0) (Girls)
Players to watch: Dresden’s Millie Bryant; Gleason’s Kelsey Borneman
Last season: Dresden won all three meetings. The Lady Lions won 62-38 and 65-60 in the regular season and won 50-33 in the region semifinals.
Notes: Gleason might be the hottest team in West Tennessee through the first three weeks of the season. The Lady Bulldogs have played some tough Class A teams, and they came away with a win in each one. Dresden is coming off of two straight losses, but those have come against Murray (Ky.) and Henry County. A win here by Gleason would be a big step in cementing themselves as the favorite to win this district.
Liberty (0-3) at Westview (6-0) (Girls)
Players to watch: Liberty’s Alysia Mason-Pavia; Westview’s Lydia Pritchett
Earlier this season: Westview won 69-39 on the road on Nov. 22.
Notes: Westview won easily on the road last time, but Liberty has a lot to prove. The Lady Crusaders haven’t gotten a win this season, but that is more because of a tough schedule than anything else. Liberty would love to get that first win in this one and prove it is ready to compete for the District 15-AA title and maybe more.
* Records are current through Friday night.
Michael Odom, 415-9754