Basketball Game Preview: Penn Kingsmen vs. Merrillville Pirates

The Penn Kingsmen will venture away from home to face off against the Merrillville Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Penn is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Mishawaka: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Penn blew Mishawaka out of the water with a 72-42 final score. The victory continues a trend for the Kingsmen in their matchups with the Cavemen: they've now won eight in a row.

Penn found their leader in freshman Caleb Coolman, who posted 22 points in addition to seven rebounds and six assists. Peyton Miamba was another key player, putting up ten points and eight boards.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Merrillville). They walked away with a 70-62 win over Hobart on Saturday.

Penn pushed their record up to 15-8 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.7 points over those games. As for Merrillville, their win bumped their record up to 5-17.

Penn came up short against Merrillville in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 64-57. Can Penn avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.