Preview: Eastern Hancock Royals vs. Triton Central Tigers
The Eastern Hancock Royals will square off against the Triton Central Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Eastern Hancock entered their tilt with Tri with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. Eastern Hancock took their game at home on Thursday with ease, bagging a 65-38 victory over Tri. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Eastern Hancock has posted since December 21, 2023.
Eastern Hancock's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ruby White, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was McKenzie Koch, who scored 18 points along with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 13 more assists than your opponent, a fact Triton Central proved on Thursday. They put the hurt on Beech Grove with a sharp 49-23 win.
Triton Central can attribute much of their success to Quinn King, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and six steals, and Maryrose Felling, who scored 20 points along with four steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which Felling has scored at least a third of Triton Central's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Bailey, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds.
Eastern Hancock's win was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-1. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 31.9 points. As for Triton Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Eastern Hancock have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 46.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Triton Central struggles in that department as they've made 41.5% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Eastern Hancock beat Triton Central 50-41 when the teams last played back in November of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Felling, who scored 23 points along with four steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Eastern Hancock still be able to contain Felling? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
