The New Prairie Cougars will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Plymouth Pilgrims/Rockies at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. New Prairie is hoping to put an end to a six-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Last Friday, New Prairie was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 41-35 to Boone Grove.
Reece Lapczynski put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 14 points along with six steals. Those six steals set a new season-high mark for him. Marshall Kmiecik was another key contributor, scoring four points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, New Prairie were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Plymouth's recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Tuesday after their third straight loss. They lost to South Bend Riley at home by a decisive 63-44 margin. While losing is never fun, Plymouth can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 238th, while South Bend Riley is ranked 17th).
Coby Walters put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Preston Wolfe, who scored seven points along with three steals.
New Prairie's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Plymouth, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's matchup: New Prairie have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4.1 threes per game. However, it's not like Plymouth struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.6 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
New Prairie came up short against Plymouth when the teams last played back in February, falling 52-41. Can New Prairie avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
