Maryville @ JeffCo is One of Three Games that Truly Matter

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the first Friday of 2025 I picked out three hoop contests with elevated importance. Enjoy Three Games that Truly Matter!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maryville (10-6) @ Jefferson County (8-6)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6:00 p.m. E.S.T. Jefferson County gets a whack at the Maryville Rebels. The Maryville Rebels need to prove to themselves and others that they are State Title contenders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maryville entered the season as a likely State Tournament participant thanks to returning guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2345574' first='Brayden' last='Hazelbaker']</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2358309' first='Jonathan' last='Woodlee']</strong>. And then the Rebels suffered two losses, almost three, before Thanksgiving. Yes, the opponents were legitimate powers: Bartlett, Independence, Sevier County. MHS knocked off the reigning State Champion Independence Eagles in that series. In all, Maryville dropped a half dozen games in 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the last two weeks Maryville recaptured some of that preseason luster by winning four in a row and five of their last six games. With wins over Alcoa and Baylor School in that quintet the Rebels displayed that forecasted power.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2345574' first='Brayden' last='Hazelbaker']</strong> is averaging 13.6 points per game on 42% shooting. Woodlee is putting up 11.9 ppg and big man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787950' first='Luke' last='Sigmund']</strong> is up around 10 points per. Brandon is an exceptional free throw shooter (94%).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Luke Roberston</strong> (Maryville) is averaging 7.9 ppg with 5.1 rpg. Shooting 48% .</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jackson Christian (15-2) @ Peabody (12-1)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peabody gets another significant challenge coming off their first loss of the season. <strong>Jamarcus Haynes</strong> and <strong>Ryder Patterson</strong> are both having tremendous seasons. Emmanuel Cannon scored 15 points against Ridgeway.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson Christian might be the strongest opponent thus far for the Golden Tide. Jackson Christian leans on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1377904' first='Birman' last='Jenkins III']</strong>, who flicked 29 points in the face of Camden Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Liberty Creek (10-4) @ Ezell-Harding (15-0)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2715431,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Ezell-crop-762x500-1735857966.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Ezell-crop-762x500-1735857966.jpg?w=761" alt="" class="wp-image-2715431" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ezell-Harding is producing an all-time season and after defeating C.P.A. last week 59-53 in overtime, they are still unbeaten at 15-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MJ Gibbs</strong> continues to average 14.9 points per game to lead his squad. Sophomore <strong>Zay Bridges</strong> is a breakout player for the Eagles. In just his second year of high school Bridges is scoring 13.5 ppg along with 7.3 rebounds per game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->