Mt. Vernon is 2-7 against Evansville Central since November of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Mt. Vernon Wildcats will face off against the Evansville Central Bears at 7:30 p.m.
Mt. Vernon is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 22nd straight game dating back to last season on Saturday. They took a blow against Heritage Hills, falling 57-27. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-10.
| 02/01/25 vs Heritage Hills | 10 |
| 12/18/24 vs Evansville Bosse | 7 |
| 11/26/24 vs South Spencer | 7 |
| 12/14/24 vs Boonville | 6 |
| 01/27/25 vs Southridge | 6 |
Mt. Vernon's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Taylor Ellison, who posted ten points, and Addison Chilton, who earned six points and three steals. The dominant performance gave Ellison a new career-high in points.
Meanwhile, Evansville Central had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They breezed by Boonville to the tune of 76-37 on Tuesday. The Bears have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Evansville Central's win came from a few key players Mt. Vernon will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mya Skelton, who went 9 for 12 en route to 22 points in addition to seven assists and five boards. Another player making a difference was Madalynn Shirley, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds.
Evansville Central was working as a unit and finished the game with 24 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Evansville Central is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-4 record this season. As for Mt. Vernon, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-21.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mt. Vernon has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 20.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Evansville Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Mt. Vernon was dealt a bruising 50-9 loss at the hands of Evansville Central when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Can Mt. Vernon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
