Basketball Game Preview: Westfield Shamrocks vs. Franklin Central Flashes

Westfield has gone 6-1 against Franklin Central recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Westfield Shamrocks will venture away from home to face off against the Franklin Central Flashes at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Westfield has four straight wins, Franklin Central has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Tuesday, Westfield was fully in charge, breezing past University 60-31. The Shamrocks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 25 points or more this season.

Durante Morton

Field Goal Percentage

02/18/25 vs University	67%
02/14/25 @ Hamilton Heights	86%
02/11/25 @ Harrison	100%
02/08/25 vs Mooresville	58%
02/06/25 vs Fishers	75%
+ 5 more games

It was another big night for Durante Morton, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 57% in the last ten games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jalen Malone, who went 5-for-8 to rack up 11 points.

Westfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Franklin Central lost 68-43 to Avon on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Flashes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 101st, while the Orioles are ranked third).

Franklin Central's loss dropped their record down to 6-13. As for Westfield, their victory bumped their record up to 16-3.

Westfield was able to grind out a solid win over Franklin Central in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 54-46. The rematch might be a little tougher for Westfield since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.