Shades Valley Mounties at Bessemer City Tigers — Girls basketball preview (Dec. 18)

Bessemer City -

Shades Valley travels to Bessemer City on Thursday, Dec. 18, for a nonleague girls basketball meeting at Bessemer City. Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. Central (3 p.m. Pacific) — follow the game on the SBLive game page: https://scorebooklive.com/alabama/girls-basketball/games/5715505-shades-valley-vs-bessemer-city.

Quick game facts

• Who: Shades Valley Mounties at Bessemer City Tigers

• When: Thursday, Dec. 18 — 5 p.m. Central

• Where: At Bessemer City (home team page: https://scorebooklive.com/alabama/girls-basketball/teams/205272-bessemer-city-tigers)

• Visitor: Shades Valley Mounties (team page: https://scorebooklive.com/alabama/girls-basketball/teams/205744-shades-valley-mounties)

What to watch

This nonleague matchup is a mid-December test for both programs as they tune up for the heart of the high school season. There’s no recent meeting data listed between the two teams, so expect fresh storylines to emerge: which team establishes control on the glass, who handles late-game pressure and which coach adjusts better at halftime.

Streaming and ticketing

• Bessemer City NFHS Network: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/bessemer-city-high-school-bessemer-city-al/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

• Shades Valley NFHS Network: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/shades-valley-high-school-birmingham-al/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

(Only use the NFHS links above for streaming — no ticketing links were provided.)

Follow, pick and stay engaged

Both teams have small but growing followings on SBLive — Bessemer City (6 fans) and Shades Valley (7 fans). Those numbers can change, so follow the team pages to get updates and help boost the program’s profile. Fans can also make picks for fun on SBLive; picks are for engagement and not tied to any win projections. For more on the matchup and to track live updates, visit the game page: https://scorebooklive.com/alabama/girls-basketball/games/5715505-shades-valley-vs-bessemer-city.

Next up for each team

• Bessemer City next: at Woodlawn, Dec. 19 — https://scorebooklive.com/alabama/girls-basketball/games/5718537-woodlawn-vs-bessemer-city

• Shades Valley next: at Sparkman, Dec. 29 — https://scorebooklive.com/alabama/girls-basketball/games/5899367-shades-valley-vs-sparkman

Stay with SBLive for final rosters, injury updates and in-game coverage as the matchup approaches.