Preview: Plainview Pirates vs. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Bears
Plainview has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Bears at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Plainview's defense has only allowed 28.7 points per game this season, so Laurel-Concord-Coleridge's offense will have their work cut out for Laurel-Concord-Coleridge.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 11 more assists than your opponent, a fact Plainview proved on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 52-14 victory over Madison at home. Given Plainview's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 75th, while Madison is ranked 232nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Abbie Kromarek was her usual excellent self, scoring 18 points along with six assists and five rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which she has scored at least 25% of Plainview's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Madelynn Dougherty, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Even though Laurel-Concord-Coleridge has not done well against Ponca recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge walked away with a 57-45 win over Ponca. Winning may never get old, but Laurel-Concord-Coleridge sure is getting used to it with their third in a row.
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge found their leader in underclassman Rena Rasmussen, who scored 22 points along with nine rebounds and four steals. Those four steals set a new season-high mark for Rasmussen. Carlie Kvols was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Plainview's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.6 points per game. As for Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Plainview have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, though, as they've been averaging only 33.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Plainview came up short against Laurel-Concord-Coleridge in their previous meeting back in January, falling 44-40. Can Plainview avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
