Basketball Game Preview: Norwood Pirates vs. Iberia Rangers

The Norwood Pirates will square off against the Iberia Rangers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Norwood will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

Norwood is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They came out on top against Fordland by a score of 45-36.

Norwood's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gentry Davault, who posted seven points along with seven assists and six boards. Addy Gray was another key player, putting up 14 points and five rebounds.

Davault wasn't the only one working in the assist department: Norwood was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. Norwood is 21-2 when they've passed the ball that well.

Meanwhile, Iberia didn't have too much trouble with Stoutland last Thursday as they won 79-65. The win continues a trend for the Rangers in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won eight in a row.

Norwood better keep an eye on Chloe Edwards. She was instrumental in Iberia's win, almost dropping a double-double with 24 points and nine boards. That's the most points Edwards has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Acelyn Bauer, who shot 55% from the field to rack up 17 points.

Norwood's victory bumped their record up to 23-5. As for Iberia, their win bumped their record up to 17-7.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest-scoring teams around. Norwood hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 55.8 points per game. However, it's not like Iberia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 60.1 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can put up more.

Norwood strolled past Iberia when the teams last played back in February of 2023 by a score of 59-42. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Iberia's Laney Halley, who almost dropped a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for Norwood to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.