The Montpelier Locomotives will head out on the road to challenge the Lakewood Park Christian Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Montpelier knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six games -- so hopefully Lakewood Park Christian likes a good challenge.
Montpelier is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took down Bryan 80-61 on Saturday. That's two games straight that the Locomotives have won by exactly 19 points.
| 01/04/25 @ Bryan | 31 |
| 01/02/25 vs Edon | 31 |
| 12/21/24 vs Stryker | 16 |
| 12/14/24 @ North Central | 29 |
Montpelier's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was C.J. Fidler, who almost dropped a double-double on 31 points and nine rebounds. The match was Fidler's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Wesley Hartsock, who went 7 of 12 en route to 18 points and seven assists.
Montpelier was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Lakewood Park Christian took on Bluffton on Saturday. Lakewood Park Christian was dealt a 71-40 defeat at the hands of Bluffton. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Tigers 19-12 in the first quarter.
Montpelier will have to contain Avery MacFarlane as he made an impact in Lakewood Park Christian's last game. He dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards. MacFarlane has been hot recently, having posted 11 or more rebounds the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Davi Freitas, who posted 13 points.
Montpelier's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Lakewood Park Christian, they dropped their record down to 2-5 with the loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Montpelier has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lakewood Park Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Montpelier came up short against Lakewood Park Christian in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 56-51. Can Montpelier avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
