Preview: Chillicothe Hornets vs. Lafayette Fighting Irish
Chillicothe has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Lafayette Fighting Irish at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Chillicothe has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Chillicothe can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent game on Friday. They put the hurt on Savannah with a sharp 57-37 victory. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 34-12.
James Mathew was his usual excellent self, scoring 23 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last seven games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Trout, who scored eight points along with eight assists and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lafayette unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They received a tough blow as they fell 65-49 to Benton. While losing is never fun, Lafayette can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 250th, while Benton is ranked 38th).
Chillicothe is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. As for Lafayette, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-9.
Chillicothe took a serious blow against Lafayette in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, falling 70-41. Can Chillicothe avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
