Philip Barbour is 9-1 against Preston since February of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Philip Barbour Colts will be staying on the road to face off against the Preston Knights at 5:45 p.m. on January 26th. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up ten more assists than your opponent, a fact Philip Barbour proved two weeks ago. They came out on top against North Marion by a score of 62-52. The victory was just what Philip Barbour needed coming off of a 66-33 defeat in their prior matchup.
Philip Barbour relied on the efforts of Kaden Humphreys, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and three steals, and Trenton Bodkins, who scored 26 points along with six rebounds and two steals. That's the first time this season that Bodkins grabbed two or more steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Clinton Auvil, who scored six points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Even though Preston has not done well against Grafton recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Preston walked away with a 55-45 win over Grafton.
Preston's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaden Bachtel led the charge by scoring 12 points along with two steals. Easton Hayes was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
The win got Philip Barbour back to even at 4-4. As for Preston, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 5-7 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Philip Barbour have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Preston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Philip Barbour strolled past Preston in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 by a score of 63-49. The rematch might be a little tougher for Philip Barbour since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
