Basketball Game Preview: Ottawa Hills Green Bears vs. Otsego Knights

Ottawa Hills is 1-6 against Otsego since February of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Ottawa Hills Green Bears will look to defend their home court against the Otsego Knights at 7:30 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Ottawa Hills is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Norwalk on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Ottawa Hills came up short against Norwalk, falling 60-36. The Green Bears were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-17.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kendell Skiver, who posted 15 points and five steals. Her evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Lily Berenzweig was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and 13 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Ottawa Hills 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 five consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Otsego was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell 54-43 to Lake.

Ottawa Hills will have to keep a close watch on Ella Hartman and Jocelyn Cornell, a pair of players who had a big impact on Otsego's prior game. Hartman went 5 for 11 en route to 10 points and six boards, while Cornell earned 13 points. The dominant performance gave Hartman a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Lauren Euler, who scored six points.

Ottawa Hills' loss dropped their record down to 8-6. As for Otsego, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-12.

Ottawa Hills came up short against Otsego in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 50-42. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cornell, who put up 23 points and five steals. Now that Ottawa Hills knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.