Basketball Game Preview: Union County Patriots vs. Eastern Hancock Royals

The Union County Patriots are taking a road trip to face off against the Eastern Hancock Royals at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, Union County came up short against Franklin County and fell 52-41.

Meanwhile, Eastern Hancock was fully in charge on Wednesday, breezing past Blue River Valley 59-20. The Royals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 24 points or more this season.

Union County better keep an eye on McKenzie Koch. She was instrumental in Eastern Hancock's win, going 13 for 24 on her way to 31 points in addition to eight boards and five steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Koch has scored at least a third of Eastern Hancock's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bella Sotelo, who posted eight points and five steals.

Eastern Hancock smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive contests.

Union County's loss dropped their record down to 9-4. As for Eastern Hancock, their victory bumped their record up to 14-2.

Union County took a serious blow against Eastern Hancock in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 66-31. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Union County was down 35-14.