SPORTS EDITOR BLOG — Bragging rights will be on the line when Oxford hosts Lafayette in basketball action Tuesday night in the OHS gym.There will be four games played Tuesday, starting with a JV girls game at 4 p.m. A ninth-grade boys game will be the prelude to the varsity doubleheader, which should start approximately at 6.

Tuesday’s games will be the only time the two schools will meet this season on the hardwood. The marquee matchup of the two games will be the contest between the Lady Chargers (16-1 overall) and Lady Commodores (14-4). 

LHS coach Amy Sutton said following Friday night’s win over Senatobia that her players were excited about the annual showdown.

“I know the girs are excited about it. They’re already Facebooking and texting each other saying we’re going to get you, we’re going to get you. It’s a big game as far as the community is concerned,” Sutton said. “But my focus for the team is to approach it like any other game. We’re going to get out there and execute our game plan. We’ve got to do the little things. We got to hustle, we can’t get outplayed.”

OHS coach Shayne Linzy said he was expecting a very good game between two very good teams as well as a packed gym to watch the encounter.

“Lafayette is an athletic, well-coached team that has proven to be one of the best teams in (Class) 4A this year,” Linzy said. “This game is about bragging rights for another year and anytime you play your rival just once, there is a little more pressure to win. But I also want my girls to remember that it’s another game on the schedule and that we need to continue to play our style, our game instead of diving into who we are playing against.”

For more on the matchups, including thoughts from both boys coaches, check out Tuesday’s EAGLE print edition. (January 17, 2011)