Basketball Game Preview: Monrovia Bulldogs vs. Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter Raiders

Monrovia is 1-9 against Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Monrovia Bulldogs are taking a road trip to challenge the Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter Raiders at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Monrovia is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Saturday. The contest between them and Mooresville didn't end well, with Monrovia falling 74-60. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 352nd, while the Pioneers are ranked 118th).

Meanwhile, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter waltzed into their game on Tuesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 61-41 win. The Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 20 points or more this season.

Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter's win came from a few key players Monrovia will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Devin Bolden, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 15 boards. He has been hot recently, having posted 11 or more rebounds the last four times he's played. Nathan Smith was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 15 points and nine assists.

Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.6 points per game. As for Monrovia, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.

Monrovia came up short against Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 70-64. Can Monrovia avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.