Basketball Game Preview: Monrovia Bulldogs vs. Beech Grove Hornets

Monrovia hasn't had much luck against Beech Grove recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Monrovia Bulldogs will head out to take on the Beech Grove Hornets at 7:30 p.m. Monrovia is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.4 points per game this season.

Monrovia is headed into Saturday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Saturday. They received a blow as they fell 74-60 to Mooresville. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 355th, while the Pioneers are ranked 118th).

Despite the loss, Monrovia got top-tier performance from Hayden Mccloud, who went 7 for 14 on his way to 21 points in addition to seven boards and five assists. That's the most assists Mccloud has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson McCloud, who posted 13 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Beech Grove hadn't done well against Indianapolis Bishop Chatard recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Beech Grove managed a 43-37 win over Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.

Beech Grove's win came from a few key players Monrovia will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Anthony Huff, who had eight points along with six boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Bishop Moore, who posted 12 points.

Monrovia's defeat dropped their record down to 3-6. As for Beech Grove, their record now sits at 4-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Monrovia has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Beech Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Monrovia came up short against Beech Grove in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 68-64. Can Monrovia avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.