The Providence Grove Patriots will face off against the Trinity Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Providence Grove will be strutting in after a win while Trinity will be coming in after a loss.
Last Thursday, Providence Grove didn't have too much trouble with Eastern Randolph as they won 55-36. The Patriots haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Providence Grove found their leader in sophomore Laurel Bernhardt, who went 8-for-14 en route to 20 points in addition to six assists and six rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Bernhardt has scored at least a third of Providence Grove's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mailey Way, who posted nine points.
Meanwhile, Trinity was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They lost to Randleman at home by a 55-37 margin. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 439th, while the Tigers are ranked 154th).
Despite the loss, Trinity saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Mya Hooker scored 17 points and three steals. Trinity is 2-1 when Hooker posts 15 or more points, but 6-15 otherwise. Desiree Rondon was another key player, putting up six points along with eight boards and five assists.
Trinity's defeat dropped their record down to 8-16. As for Providence Grove, their win bumped their record up to 16-7.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday's contest: Providence Grove has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 39.8% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Trinity, though, as they've only made 23.9% of their threes this season. Given Providence Grove's sizable advantage in that area, Trinity will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Providence Grove against Trinity in their previous meeting last Tuesday, as the team secured a 60-26 victory. Does Providence Grove have another victory up their sleeve, or will Trinity turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
