Preview: Carroll Cougars vs. Eastern Comets
The Carroll Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Eastern Comets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Carroll put the finishing touches on their 11th blowout victory of the season on Friday. They blew past Clinton Prairie, posting a 62-25 victory at home. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Carroll has posted since December 2, 2023.
Carroll's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Alli Harness, who scored 23 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Harness also posted two blocks for the first time this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jillian Salts, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Eastern scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They breezed by Tipton at home to the tune of 57-22. The victory was just what Eastern needed coming off of a 53-29 defeat in their prior matchup.
Marly Coan had a dynamite game for Eastern, dropping a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. That's the first time this season that Coan scored 15 or more points. Jenna Odle was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with five steals.
Carroll's victory was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-3. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 25.33 points. As for Eastern, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 6-11 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Carroll have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Eastern, though, as they've been averaging only 27 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Carroll against Eastern in their previous meeting back in November of 2022 as the team secured a 67-22 win. With Carroll ahead 49-11 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
