Preachers vs. Deacons Community Basketball Game

A Preachers vs. Deacons basketball game is set for Saturday, April 25, at 5 p.m. in Ridgeland, with the public invited. (blufftontoday.com) The game is scheduled at Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence, and Bluffton Today’s community calendar lists Team Unity as the sponsor. (blufftontoday.com) In Jasper County, the matchup is a church-and-neighborhood event as much as a basketball game. A 2017 Jasper Sun Times report said the Preachers and Deacons work with church leaders across county communities to promote unity and engagement. (blufftontoday.com) That earlier report also described the game as an annual event, with the Preachers beating the Deacons 43-34 in a February 2017 meeting. (blufftontoday.com) The same 2017 event was tied to a wider community effort: the Preachers and Deacons joined the Busby All-Stars to raise awareness after a fatal shooting in Ridgeland. (blufftontoday.com) This year’s listing does not mention an admission price or fundraiser, only the April 25 tipoff, the Ridgeland school site, and Team Unity’s sponsorship. (blufftontoday.com) For Ridgeland and the wider Lowcountry, the draw is familiar: pastors and deacons on one side, local bragging rights on the other, and a public gathering built around the gym instead of the sanctuary. (blufftontoday.com; blufftontoday.com)