The Plainfield Quakers will venture away from home to take on the Southport Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Saturday, Plainfield made easy work of New Haven and carried off an 81-55 victory. The Quakers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 25 points or more this season.
| 12/28/24 vs New Haven | 24 |
| 12/27/24 vs Greensburg | 16 |
| 12/27/24 vs Portage | 17 |
| 12/20/24 @ Perry Meridian | 24 |
| 12/13/24 vs Martinsville | 33 |
Plainfield found their leader in sophomore Harper Baker-Lands, who went 10 of 19 en route to 24 points. The game was Baker-Lands' fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Noah Smith, who went 5 of 11 en route to 19 points and eight rebounds.
While Southport didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 60-45 win over Indianapolis Arsenal Technical last Monday. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 68th, while the Titans are ranked 243rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Southport's win came from a few key players Plainfield will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was James Kalala, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted ten or more rebounds the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Cristian Webster, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 16 points.
Southport smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive contests.
Plainfield is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.4 points per game. As for Southport, their record is now 5-2.
Everything went Plainfield's way against Southport in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, as Plainfield made off with a 75-53 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Plainfield since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
