Thomas County Central and Thomasville’s boys basketball teams square off earlier this season. The Bulldogs took a 75-58 win in the previous matchup on Dec. 3.

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville and Thomas County Central’s boys basketball teams are in drastically different spectrums of success so far.

Tonight, the two crosstown rivals will play for the second time this season at Thomasville’s gym, after the girls teams from both schools face off at 6 p.m.

The Bulldog boys are ranked No. 4 in the state and are at the top of the standings in Region 1-2A, while Central has struggled so far.

Despite that discrepancy in the win column, the first game between the two teams back in early December had a very compelling first half. Thomasville led 20-12 before Central put together a 16-4 run late in the second quarter, with the Bulldogs leading the Yellow Jackets by just a single point at halftime. Ultimately, Thomasville came out in the third quarter swinging, and Central was not able to recover, taking a 75-58 loss.

Completing the task at hand is the main focus of the Yellow Jackets in the midst of region play, having taken a close 77-75 overtime loss to Harris County in the division opener. There have been some stumbling blocks outside their control standing in their way, though.

“I think in the region, we still have a chance,” Central boys coach Will Lewis said. “We still haven’t played at 100 percent because of people of being out of town or injuries. Right now, the flu’s going around so we’ve been playing with a couple of guys out sick. Nobody in the region’s really seen us at 100 percent yet.

“We’ve worked on some things. We’ve gotten better in some areas. You still have to play with confidence and effort, and we have to finish games.”

Point guard DeOndre Sullivan is a piece that the Yellow Jackets have missed recently, and his status for tonight’s game is to be determined. BJ Jones, Jamie Palmer and Quintavius Cooksey have been some of guys Central has leaned on this year.

For the Bulldogs, their focus is competing in what is a tough region, with Fitzgerald and Early County sitting at the top of the division standings with them. While tonight’s game is good for the community at large, Thomasville coach Ben Tillman has aimed to get his young team focused primarily on the region.

“We cannot allow ourselves to lose focus on what’s important,” Tillman said. “Division games are more important than non-division games, especially where we are. I understand our fans and wanting to beat your family member, but at the same time, the most important games are region games. That’s what we’ve been telling the kids all week.”

Reggie Perry has led the way for his team, consistently scoring over 20 points a night for the Bulldogs. Titus Young and Quindarius Thomas have stepped up in recent weeks as well.

After a rough start to the year against a tough non-region schedule, Thomasville has seen the victories come, but Tillman still sees his squad as one that is continuing to learn how to win.

“Just because you graduated with one degree doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re finished learning,” Tillman said. “You’re going to learn as long as you continue to play this game.”