The Eastern Hancock Royals will challenge the Monroe Central Golden Bears at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Eastern Hancock is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.9 points per game this season.
Eastern Hancock is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest loss since December 30, 2023 on Friday. They lost 57-36 to Sheridan. The contest marked the Royals' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
| 12/27/24 @ Sheridan | 20 |
| 12/27/24 vs Tri-Central | 18 |
| 12/20/24 @ Knightstown | 27 |
| 12/17/24 vs Lapel | 32 |
| 12/14/24 @ Cathedral | 35 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from McKenzie Koch, who posted 20 points and eight rebounds. The matchup was her 14th in a row with at least ten points. Kiersten Judd was another key player, putting up nine points.
Even though they lost, Eastern Hancock smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Monroe Central's strategy against Blackford last Monday. Monroe Central blew past Blackford 55-29. The Golden Bears have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 22 points or more this season.
Monroe Central's win came from a few key players Eastern Hancock will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sydney Patterson, who went 5 of 12 on her way to 15 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Abe Ervin, who put up eight points along with ten rebounds and four steals.
Eastern Hancock's defeat ended a nine-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 12-2. As for Monroe Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Eastern Hancock against Monroe Central in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, as the team secured a 66-35 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Patterson, who had 21 points and three steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Eastern Hancock still be able to contain Patterson? There's only one way to find out.
