Basketball Game Preview: Muncie Central Bearcats vs. Westfield Shamrocks

The Muncie Central Bearcats and the Westfield Shamrocks will face off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played.

Muncie Central is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Kokomo just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They received a blow as they fell 65-51 to the Wildkats.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jaxson Johnson, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 10 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Carlos Echols, who went 5 for 10 en route to 12 points.

Meanwhile, Westfield entered their tilt with Brownsburg on Friday with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. Everything went their way against the Bulldogs as they made off with a 57-31 victory. The Shamrocks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 25 points or more this season.

Westfield pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for Muncie Central, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.

Muncie Central was dealt a bruising 82-42 defeat at the hands of Westfield when the teams last played back in January of 2021. Thankfully for Muncie Central, Braden Smith (who shot 5-for-7 from long range and almost dropped a double-double on 31 points and nine boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.