Tift County’s Kaysie Harrelson avoids a block from a Turner County defender during the schools’ last basketball meeting in December 2016. The sides will play each other Monday, part of a four-game series.

TIFTON — The Tift County Blue Devils will be hosting their second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day games Monday, but in an expanded format.

Blue Devils head coach Chris Wade said boys and girls games between Hawkinsville and Mitchell County will take place earlier in the afternoon. Tip-off for the girls game is at 2 p.m. At 6 p.m., Tift County will face Turner County. Between the games will be a special program.

Wade had previously spoken of including more schools in what he hopes will be an annual event, but said Hawkinsville and Mitchell County had already been matched up for another event.

“I talked to [head coach Shedric] Office at Turner,” said Wade. “He had already had a classic set up for that day.”

Tift wanted to play Turner every year for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So, the two coaches came to a compromise.

Essentially, said Wade, “We moved his tournament here. Kind of a collaboration.”

In the future, Wade would like to bring in area rivals, such as Fitzgerald and Irwin County or Berrien and Cook. Fitzgerald was Tift’s opponent for this game in 2017.

Hawkinsville’s boys headed into a Saturday home game against Brookstone after playing at Macon County Friday. The Lady Red Devils, former three time state basketball state champions, are looking for their first win of the season Saturday. Both teams are coached by Cedric Blackshear.

The Mitchell County Eagles ended a six-game slide Friday, defeating Chattahoochee County, 64-49. Mitchell had last won Dec. 21 over Brooks County. Mitchell’s girls have recorded wins over Worth County, Miller County and Randolph-Clay. Both teams were at Webster County Saturday.

Mitchell, of course, is noted from its years as part of Mitchell-Baker. One of the state’s powerhouses, regardless of classification, the Eagles won six state championships in the 25 years the counties were combined as a single high school. Their final title was in 2003, with the counties splitting back into separate high schools in 2006.

Tift’s opponent, Turner County, has had its teams seemingly headed in opposite directions this season.

The Lady Rebels were 11-5 going into Saturday night’s game against Clinch County while the Rebels were 3-13.

Wade said that despite Turner’s record, he expects the Rebels to bring a very athletic team to Tifton.

“They’ll be formidable,” he said.

Turner picked up its third win of the season Friday, defeating Atkinson County, 59-41. The Rebels had also defeated Echols County and Charlton County.

The Lady Rebels are among Region 2-A’s leaders, with Telfair County and Wilcox County. Miya Byrd and Zakiyah Office have been their two top scorers.

Turner is the second contest of a two-game respite for Tift from its region schedule. The Blue Devils were at Lee County Saturday.

Tift will be back in action against Region 1-AAAAAAA Friday at Lowndes. The Devils’ next home game after Turner will be next Saturday versus Worth County, another non-region opponent.