The Blackford Bruins are taking a road trip to face off against the Alexandria-Monroe Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Saturday, Blackford humbled Madison-Grant with a 59-21 victory.
Olivia Murphy
| 12/06/25 vs Madison-Grant | 23 |
| 12/04/25 vs Bluffton | 17 |
| 11/22/25 vs Muncie Central | 17 |
| 11/19/25 @ Adams Central | 9 |
| 11/15/25 @ South Adams | 9 |
| + 3 more games |
Blackford found their leader in freshman Olivia Murphy, who shot 53% from the field on her way to 23 points in addition to five assists and four steals. With that strong performance, Murphy is now averaging an impressive 15.9 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylor Hedge, who went 6-for-15 to rack up 16 points.
Blackford was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Alexandria-Monroe). They simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Taylor 86-12. With that victory, the Tigers brought their scoring average up to 52.1 points per game.
Blackford better keep an eye on Laela Dietzer. She was instrumental in Alexandria-Monroe's win, shooting 83% from the field en route to 22 points along with five assists and four steals. Dietzer is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Conleigh Davidson, who went 7-for-8 on her way to 16 points and seven rebounds.
Alexandria-Monroe's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 18.5 points on average over those games. As for Blackford, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Blackford has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Alexandria-Monroe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Blackford was dealt a bruising 65-8 loss at the hands of Alexandria-Monroe in their previous matchup back in February. Thankfully for the Bruins, Jacklynn Hosier (who almost dropped a double-double with 16 points and nine steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
