Basketball Game Preview: Eastbrook Panthers vs. Blackford Bruins

Eastbrook is 8-2 against Blackford since January of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Eastbrook Panthers will look to defend their home court against the Blackford Bruins at 6:30 p.m. Eastbrook will be strutting in after a win while Blackford will be coming in after a loss.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Eastbrook turned things around against Madison-Grant on Saturday. They snuck past the Argylls with a 36-32 victory.

Mia Bustos continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 15 points and 18 rebounds. She is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last 17 games she's played. Jazmine Plummer was another key player, putting up four points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Blackford was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They were beaten by Frankton 51-17. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Bruins have suffered against the Eagles since January 18, 2018.

Eastbrook will have to contain Raegan Ridgway as she made an impact in Blackford's last game. She posted five points along with six boards and three steals. Those six rebounds gave Ridgway a new career-high.

Blackford's loss dropped their record down to 2-21. As for Eastbrook, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-13.

Eastbrook didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Blackford in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 62-58 victory. Will Eastbrook repeat their success, or does Blackford have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.