Preview: Fountain Central Mustangs vs. Parke Heritage Wolves
Fountain Central is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Parke Heritage is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Fountain Central Mustangs will take on the Parke Heritage Wolves at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Fountain Central has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Even though Fountain Central has not done well against Covington recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way last Tuesday. Fountain Central strolled past Covington with points to spare, taking the game 45-27. Given Fountain Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 144th, while Covington is ranked 314th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hannah Prickett was the offensive standout of the match as she scored 18 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points she has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Henley Good, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Parke Heritage stacked a 15th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They breezed by Covington at home to the tune of 64-23. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Parke Heritage has posted since December 9, 2023.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Parke Heritage to victory, but perhaps none more so than Catherine O'Brien, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. That's the first time this season that O'Brien pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was Addilee Jenkins, who scored 15 points along with five assists and two steals.
Fountain Central is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season. As for Parke Heritage, their victory bumped their record up to 17-3.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Fountain Central have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 22.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Parke Heritage, though, as they've been averaging only 32.1 rebounds per game. Given Fountain Central's sizeable advantage in that area, Parke Heritage will need to find a way to close that gap.
Fountain Central took a serious blow against Parke Heritage in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, falling 61-22. The matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Fountain Central was down 38-16.
