Basketball Game Preview: Southwestern Rebels vs. Austin Eagles

Southwestern is 1-9 against Austin since November of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Southwestern Rebels will host the Austin Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Southwestern will be strutting in after a victory while Austin will be coming in after a defeat.

Last Saturday, Southwestern was able to grind out a solid win over Rising Sun, taking the game 63-54.

Olivia Simpson was nothing short of spectacular: she dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten boards. That's the most points she has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Baleigh McAfee, who posted ten points in addition to eight rebounds and five steals.

Southwestern smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in seven consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Austin entered their contest against Floyd Central on Monday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Austin was beaten by Floyd Central 58-29. The match marked the Eagles' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Southwestern pushed their record up to 14-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.0 points per game. As for Austin, their loss ended a ten-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 18-3.

Southwestern came up short against Austin in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 56-46. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Austin's Brynn Owens, who went 9 of 19 en route to 23 points and seven boards. Now that Southwestern knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.