Basketball Game Preview: Rochester Zebras vs. Clinton Prairie Gophers

The Rochester Zebras will head out on the road to take on the Clinton Prairie Gophers at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Clinton Prairie took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Rochester, who comes in off a win.

Rochester is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They enjoyed a cozy 48-33 victory over Northwestern two weeks ago. Given the Zebras' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 98th, while the Tigers are ranked 273rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Ella Mccarter had a dynamite game for Rochester, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 16 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Mccarter a new career-high in rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylee Clevenger, who posted 12 points and three steals.

Rochester smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Clinton Prairie came up short against Clinton Central on Saturday, falling 51-25. The loss continues a trend for the Gophers in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now lost three in a row.

Rochester's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. As for Clinton Prairie, they now have a losing record at 6-7.

Rochester came up short against Clinton Prairie in their previous matchup back in February of 2021, falling 49-40. Thankfully for Rochester, Tynlie Neal (who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.