Knights and Lady Knights face Nelson

The Marion County Knights and Lady Knights host Fifth Region foe Nelson County at the Roby Dome on Friday night.

The Nelson County girls team is currently 10-3 and a region contender. They feature one of the region's best players in Samantha Drake.

This clash has big implications for Head Coach Trent Milby and the Lady Knights.

"We have one week to prepare. This is probably our biggest game so far," he said. "We've come a long way. We feel like we're pretty good too. They're a lot like Smith County (Tenn.), but (Samantha) Drake isn't as big. We'll try to do the same thing."

While the Lady Knights are focusing solely on Nelson County (6-5), the Knights will be preparing for the Cardinals as well as the Boyle County Rebels (2-9).

Knights Head Coach Tim Peterson recently scouted Nelson County.

"They're kind of young and play lots of sophomores," he said. "They're real physical. They're much like a Green County team but not as skilled offensively."

Peterson watched Nelson fall to Adair County 43-24 on Jan. 3.

"They (Nelson County) could not make a shot from FT or outside," he said. "I don't think they made one three pointer all night. "They are real patient and real physical. They use a lot of picks. They've always been a physical team."

After their battle with Nelson County in the Roby Dome, the Knights travel to Boyle County to face the Rebels.

"They're a carbon copy of Nelson County. They play a lot of football players," Peterson said. "They're not a great shooting team. They've got good size and work it inside. They'll beat you up and beat you on the boards."

The Knights hope to match speed against size in both games.

The Lady Knights tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Knights tip-off at 8 p.m.

The Knights tip-off against Boyle County at 7:30 p.m.