Basketball Preview: West Lafayette Red Devils vs. Kokomo Wildkats
West Lafayette is 8-0 against Kokomo since November of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The West Lafayette Red Devils will look to take advantage of their home-court for the first time this season as they take on the Kokomo Wildkats at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully West Lafayette focused on turnovers this week as the team gave up 24 on Tuesday.
West Lafayette is headed into their home opener looking to turn things around after starting their season on the road. They took a 31-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of Fountain Central.
Despite their defeat, West Lafayette saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Molly Andrew, who had 14 points in addition to seven rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Amaya St. Hilaire, who scored two points plus nine rebounds and six blocks.
Even though they lost, West Lafayette smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 25 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Kokomo gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Wednesday. They blew past Blackford, posting a 62-17 win.
West Lafayette was able to grind out a solid victory over Kokomo when the teams last played back in November of 2023, winning 42-31. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Kokomo's Aijia Elliott, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for West Lafayette to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
