Basketball Game Preview: Orleans Bulldogs vs. Barr-Reeve Vikings

The Orleans Bulldogs will face off against the Barr-Reeve Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Orleans is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They came out on top against North Daviess by a score of 38-28. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 104th, while the Cougars are ranked 261st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Barr-Reeve beat Loogootee 47-34 on Wednesday.

Barr-Reeve's win came from a few key players Orleans will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Josie Knepp, who posted 16 points and six boards. Those 16 points gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hannah Bledsoe, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.

Barr-Reeve smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Barr-Reeve has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. As for Orleans, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 17-5.

Orleans didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Barr-Reeve in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 40-34 victory. Does Orleans have another victory up their sleeve, or will Barr-Reeve turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.