Preview: Dutch Fork Silver Foxes vs. Mid-Carolina Rebels
The Dutch Fork Silver Foxes will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Mid-Carolina Rebels at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Dutch Fork focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 25 on Monday.
Dutch Fork pushed their score all the way to 61, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 69-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of Aiken. Even though they lost, Dutch Fork's still made a splash on offense and bumped their average scoring up to 50.8 points per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Despite the loss, Dutch Fork saw an underclassman step up: Jake Bogan scored 15 points along with five rebounds. That's the first time this season that Bogan scored 15 or more points. Justus Bell was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Mid-Carolina was able to grind out a solid victory over Woodruff on Wednesday, taking the game 54-44. That 54-44 margin sets a new team best for Mid-Carolina this season.
Among those leading the charge was Jacob Clark, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. That's the first time this season that he scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Connor Cromer, who scored ten points.
Dutch Fork's loss dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Mid-Carolina, their win bumped their record up to 4-6.
Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Dutch Fork have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 25 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Mid-Carolina, though, as they've been averaging only 32.1 rebounds per game. Given Dutch Fork's sizeable advantage in that area, Mid-Carolina will need to find a way to close that gap.
Dutch Fork took their win against Mid-Carolina in their previous meeting back in January of 2021 by a conclusive 75-50. Does Dutch Fork have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mid-Carolina turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
