Preview: Osceola Bulldogs vs. Mead Raiders
The Osceola Bulldogs will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Mead Raiders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Osceola focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 12 on Tuesday.
Osceola has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 24 points or more this season. They were the clear victor by a 54-30 margin over Nebraska Lutheran. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up seven more assists than your opponent, as Osceola did.
Emma Recker and Addison Theis were among the main playmakers for Osceola as the former scored 15 points and the latter scored 16 points along with five rebounds. Those 16 points set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Courtney Sunday, who scored five points along with five steals.
Meanwhile, this season hasn't been kind to Mead, who are still winless after their sixth game. They were beaten by Sterling 58-18 on Thursday. Mead was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 31-8.
Despite the loss, Mead saw an underclassman step up: Elizabeth Brennan scored seven points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Brennan has scored all season.
Osceola's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for Mead, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Osceola have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mead struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 16.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Osceola against Mead in their previous matchup back in February as the squad secured a 57-29 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Mead's Janie Munter, who scored 21 points along with nine rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Osceola to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
