Preview: Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks vs. Newton Local Indians
The Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks will be home for the holidays to greet the Newton Local Indians at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Mississinawa Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Mississinawa Valley pushed their score all the way to 62 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 67-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of National Trail. Mississinawa Valley has not had much luck with National Trail recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Despite their loss, Mississinawa Valley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cing Scott, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. That's the first time this season that Scott pulled down eight or more rebounds. Kyle Wehrkamp was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Mississinawa Valley were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Newton Local took a serious blow against Tri-Village on Tuesday, falling 64-31. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Newton Local has scored all season.
Mississinawa Valley's loss was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 1-5. As for Newton Local, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-4 record this season.
Mississinawa Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Newton Local in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, but they still walked away with a 55-49 win. Will Mississinawa Valley repeat their success, or does Newton Local have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
