Basketball Game Preview: Southport Cardinals vs. Decatur Central Hawks

Southport and Decatur Central are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2015, but not for long. The Southport Cardinals will take on the Decatur Central Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Thursday, Southport lost to Lawrence Central on the road by a 73-55 margin.

Jack Turner

Points

01/15/25 @ Ben Davis	4
02/01/25 vs Franklin Community	4
02/08/25 @ New Palestine	4
01/22/25 vs Beech Grove	5
02/06/25 @ Decatur Central	5

Defeat or not, Southport got some senior leadership from Jack Turner and Ty'Reese Burnett. Turner went 8-for-15 en route to 22 points, while Burnett shot 71% from the field to rack up 13 points and five boards. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Turner has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Cristian Webster, who posted eight points.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Decatur Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They took down Beech Grove 69-50 on Tuesday.

Decatur Central's win came from a few key players Southport will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Quintyn Voltz, who went 7-for-13 on his way to 19 points. He has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Lavell Love was another key player, shooting 50% from the field en route to 13 points along with seven rebounds and six steals.

Decatur Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. They are 4-2 when they hit their own glass that hard.

Southport has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-11 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.2 points over those games. Decatur Central's victory bumped their record up to 7-15.

Southport skirted past Decatur Central 41-38 in their previous meeting back in February. Does Southport have another victory up their sleeve, or will Decatur Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.