Preview: Independence Patriots vs. Midland Trail Patriots
Independence has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Midland Trail Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Independence has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Even though Greater Beckley Christian scored an imposing 80 points two weeks ago, Independence still came out on top. Independence pulled ahead with a 81-80 photo finish over Greater Beckley Christian.
Meanwhile, even though Greenbrier West scored an imposing 64 points on Tuesday, Midland Trail still came out on top. Midland Trail escaped with a win against Greenbrier West by the margin of a single free throw, 65-64.
Midland Trail's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaden Gladwell, who scored 18 points. That's the first time this season that Gladwell scored 15 or more points. Eli Campbell was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with five assists.
Independence's win bumped their record up to 3-6. As for Midland Trail, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2.
Independence was dealt a bruising 81-50 loss at the hands of Midland Trail in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Midland Trail's Bryar Bailes, who scored 25 points along with six steals and five rebounds. Now that Independence knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
