Tipton has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Kokomo Wildkats at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tipton knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 11 contests -- so hopefully Kokomo likes a good challenge.
Tipton put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season last Friday. They breezed by Northwestern at home to the tune of 84-54. Given Tipton's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 11th, while Northwestern is ranked 172nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tipton can attribute much of their success to Nolan Swan, who scored 29 points along with seven assists and three steals, and Grady Carpenter, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points and 8 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Carpenter has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Money, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Kokomo came tearing into Friday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past Muncie Central 62-39. Kokomo has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 23 points or more this season.
Kokomo had a senior duo take command as Flory Bidunga dropped a double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds and Karson Rogers scored 14 points along with eight rebounds. Bidunga is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Korbyn Hammel, who scored six points.
Tipton pushed their record up to 14-0 with that victory, which was their ninth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.8 points per game. As for Kokomo, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season.
Tipton came up short against Kokomo when the teams last played back in January of 2023, falling 63-50. Can Tipton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
