Basketball Preview: Heritage Patriots vs. Fort Wayne South Side Archers
The Heritage Patriots will square off against the Fort Wayne South Side Archers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Heritage and seven for Fort Wayne South Side.
Heritage will head into Tuesday's contest ready to turn things around: they couldn't quite beat Lakeland Christian Academy on Tuesday, but the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 64-point loss they were dealt last Tuesday. Heritage fell just short of Lakeland Christian Academy by a score of 31-29.
Despite their defeat, Heritage saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Audra Bickel, who scored eight points plus 12 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. With that strong performance, Bickel is now averaging an impressive 8.1 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Danica Fuller, who scored eight points plus four steals.
Meanwhile, a win for Fort Wayne South Side just wasn't in the cards last Tuesday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They lost 69-43 to Huntington North.
Despite the loss, Fort Wayne South Side saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Reneasha Autry went 7 for 13 en route to 20 points plus two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Autry has scored all season. Maddie White was another key player, earning 11 points plus seven rebounds.
Fort Wayne South Side's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Heritage, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Heritage has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fort Wayne South Side struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.2. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Heritage took a serious blow against Fort Wayne South Side in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 53-25. Can Heritage avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
