Preview: Lafayette Central Catholic Knights vs. Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves
Lafayette Central Catholic is 0-3 against Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian since March of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Lafayette Central Catholic Knights will challenge the Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves at 4:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lafayette Central Catholic comes in on four and Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian on six.
With a playoff game on the line, Lafayette Central Catholic rose to the challenge on Saturday. They came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 54-47. Given Lafayette Central Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 71st, while Carroll is ranked 220th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lafayette Central Catholic's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ray Clayton led the charge by scoring 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Page, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Fort Wayne Bishop Luers on Saturday, taking the game 58-50.
Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kellen Pickett out in front who almost dropped a triple-double on 20 points, 12 rebounds, and nine blocks. Pickett is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last 12 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Isaac Smith, who scored 20 points along with eight rebounds.
Lafayette Central Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season. As for Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 20-6.
Saturday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Lafayette Central Catholic have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 44.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian struggles in that department as they've made 50% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lafayette Central Catholic might still be hurting after the 75-50 loss they got from Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian in their previous meeting back in December of 2022. Thankfully for Lafayette Central Catholic, Gage Sefton (who scored 20 points along with eight assists and five rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
