Basketball Preview: Bellmont Braves vs. DeKalb Barons
Bellmont has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the DeKalb Barons at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Bellmont's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last three matches.
Bellmont scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They took down East Noble 72-57. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Meanwhile, DeKalb's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They took a hard 59-41 fall against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. While losing is never fun, DeKalb can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 257th, while the Knights are ranked 39th).
Bellmont pushed their record up to 15-3 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.5 points per game. As for DeKalb, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season.
Bellmont came out on top in a nail-biter against the Barons in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, sneaking past 54-52. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bellmont since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
