Bragging rights are on the line Friday night in Goshen. The Pike County Bulldogs and Goshen Eagles will do battle once more on the hardwood to determine who rules the hoops world in Pike County.

The two teams met just one week ago, with Pike County winning 41-23.

Bulldog head coach Doug Branson said that game was much closer than the final score showed.

“It was really a back and forth, single digit game for most of it,” said Branson. “We were able to get a couple of big turnovers late to open it up some. We are big on defense, and it helped us pull it out last time.”

The short turnaround to see a common opponent, can play in your advantages said Branson, but he also expects to see new things as well.

“The familiarity with Goshen will be there,” Branson said. “But Coach (Johnny) Mitchell is a fantastic basketball coach, and I’m sure he will have some new things, some changes, to use.”

The Bulldogs suffered a setback earlier this week to Elba, but Branson said that the team’s overall plan of winning quarter segments will remain the same.

Pike County divides each quarter into four, two-minute segments, and looks to win segments en route to the overall win when the horn sounds. Branson said the segments help the players reach the short term goals and gain momentum quicker.

“The overall picture can be overwhelming sometimes,” said Branson. “So what we try to do is get the kids to play the segments, that way you can chip away at things.”

Pike County suffered a loss earlier in the week to Elba.

The win over Goshen last week was just the second win for the Bulldogs this season, but Branson told his players after practice on Thursday that the team has one goal regardless of the opponent.

“It doesn’t matter if we are playing Elba, Goshen or the L.A. Lakers,” said Branson. “Our job is to get better every time we step on the floor. If we do that, wins will come.”