Preview: Oskaloosa Bears vs. Pleasant Ridge Rams
After four games on the road, Oskaloosa is heading back home. They will take on the Pleasant Ridge Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Oskaloosa might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 67-38 to Maur Hill Prep-Mount Academy, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Ridge's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight loss. They took a 42-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Jackson Heights. The contest was a 18-18 toss-up at halftime, but Pleasant Ridge couldn't quite close it out.
Despite the defeat, Pleasant Ridge saw an underclassman step up: Brady Mance scored 23 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. That was a full 65.7% of Pleasant Ridge's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Beying, who scored three points along with eight steals and six rebounds.
Oskaloosa dropped their record down to 7-8 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Pleasant Ridge, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-14 record this season.
Everything went Oskaloosa's way against Pleasant Ridge when the teams last played last Wednesday as Oskaloosa made off with a 60-37 victory. Does Oskaloosa have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pleasant Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
