Basketball Game Preview: Marion Giants vs. Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos

Two dominant guards in Nyomi Hahn and Maya Layton are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Marion Giants will square off against the Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Tuesday, Marion was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 42-41 to Oak Hill. While losing is never fun, the Giants can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 248th, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 59th).

Meanwhile, Lafayette Jefferson entered their tilt with West Lafayette on Tuesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They breezed by the Red Devils to the tune of 54-23. The Bronchos have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 21 points or more this season.

Marion better keep an eye on Layton. She was instrumental in Lafayette Jefferson's win, going 9 of 15 en route to 23 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Layton's evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Shaylee Barrett was another key player, going 5 for 10 on her way to 11 points.

Lafayette Jefferson was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.

Marion's loss dropped their record down to 9-12. As for Lafayette Jefferson, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4.

Marion was dealt a bruising 55-17 defeat at the hands of Lafayette Jefferson in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Barrett, who went 6 of 15 en route to 13 points in addition to seven boards and seven steals. Now that Marion knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.