The Liberty County and Bradwell Institute basketball teams return to the hardwood tonight after a holiday break.
Bradwell resumes Region 3B-AAAAA play at Richmond Hill, while Liberty will open Region 3A-AAAA play by hosting Statesboro.
The Lady Panthers, who tip off at 6:30 p.m., will play for the first time since their 60-38 loss to Burke County on Dec. 8. According to ga.prepcountry.com, the Lady Panthers (2-4) are going against a Lady Blue Devil team that is 9-5 overall and has scored 591 points to Liberty’s 215. It will be the first time the two girls’ teams face each other.
The Liberty boys, on the other hand, have played Statesboro recently, primarily at the Gentlemen’s Classic held annually in Statesboro. This year, both teams ended the tournament 2-1. The Panther boys hold a 2-1 lead in the series. According to maxpreps.com, the Blue Devils average 62 points per game and are led by junior Blue Devil Zaquazian Smith, who averages 15.6 points per game. The Panthers (4-8) are led by junior Freddie McSwain (15 points per game), and the team is averaging 49 points per game. McSwain also leads the Panthers in rebounds, steals and blocks.
Meanwhile, the Bradwell girls’ team takes the court at 7 p.m. Despite their 3-11 overall record, the Lady Tigers are 3-0 in the region. The girls managed some time on the court during the holidays Dec. 21-22 in Macon.
Junior Shaquoia Crockett leads the Lady Tigers with 13.1 points per game to go with 1.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. Akeyla Richardson averages 7.6 points per game, while senior Kelissa Hargrove is dropping in 5.3 points per game.
The Lady Tigers will have to play as a cohesive unit to break down the Lady Wildcats (8-2), who also are 3-0 in the region. Keeara Jackson leads the Wildcats with 15.6 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
The Tiger boys are looking to pick things up after a rough outing at the Gentlemen’s Classic. Bradwell is 7-6 overall, but much like the Lady Tigers, they sport a 3-0 region record.
The Wildcat boys (4-6, 1-2) are looking to break a three-game losing streak.