vs
| 01/25/24 - Home | 67-33 W |
| 01/23/24 - Away | 61-31 W |
| 02/14/23 - Home | 66-21 W |
| 01/26/23 - Away | 47-18 W |
| 01/17/22 - Away | 68-48 W |
Pope County is 5-0 against Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton since January of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. Having just played yesterday, the Pope County Pirates will get right back to it and host Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton at 6:00 p.m. Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Pope County, who comes in off a win.
Pope County is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Joppa-Maple Grove: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Pope County blew Joppa-Maple Grove out of the water with a 51-18 final score. With the Pirates ahead 30-10 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Pope County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bella Fasolo led the charge by going 7 of 15 en route to 23 points along with six boards and four steals. Another player making a difference was Lawson Forthman, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 18 rebounds.
Pope County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 18 consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton played a tough contest on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Woodlawn, falling 67-25. The loss continues a trend for Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton in their matchups with Woodlawn: they've now lost four in a row.
Pope County will have to contain Ashlyn Stayton as she made an impact in Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton's last game. She almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 boards. Stayton is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down 11 or more in the last six games she's played.
Pope County is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. As for Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-15.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pope County has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 41.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Pope County against Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 67-33 win. In that matchup, Pope County amassed a halftime lead of 46-20, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.
