Speedway hasn't had much luck against Greenwood recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Sparkplugs will be home for the holidays to greet the Woodmen at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Wednesday, Speedway came up short against Cascade and fell 69-62.
Despite their loss, Speedway saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Drew Matelic, who shot 50% from the field en route to 26 points and seven boards, was perhaps the best of all. That was a full 41.9% of the Sparkplugs' points, marking the fifth time in a row Matelic has posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kendrick Kiser, who put up 16 points and five rebounds.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Greenwood and Shelbyville, and Shelbyville kept the tradition alive. The Woodmen took a 67-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Golden Bears on Tuesday. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Friday (57), the Woodmen still had to take the loss.
Defeat or not, Greenwood got some senior leadership from Parker Doolin and Acen Swain. Doolin went 7-for-9 to rack up 19 points in addition to five assists and five boards, while Swain shot 56% from the field on his way to 22 points. Doolin's big performance that evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least 19 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen King, who scored three points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Speedway now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Greenwood, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Speedway just can't miss this season, having made 47.2% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like Greenwood struggles in that department as they've drained 48.4% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Speedway was taken down by Greenwood 76-45 in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Will the Sparkplugs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
