The Pendleton Heights Arabians will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Roncalli Royals at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pendleton Heights will be strutting in after a victory while Roncalli will be coming in after a defeat.
The third road match was the charm for Pendleton Heights, as they earned their first road win of the season. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 54-38 victory over Liberty Christian last Saturday. Given Pendleton Heights' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 62nd, while Liberty Christian is ranked 221st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Josiah Gustin, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds. Those 12 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Aaron Cookston, who scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, Roncalli came up short against Guerin Catholic on Friday and fell 55-48. Roncalli has not had much luck with Guerin Catholic recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Drew Kegerreis, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds. The contest was his fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Taylor, who scored 13 points.
Roncalli struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
The victory got Pendleton Heights back to even at 4-4. As for Roncalli, their loss dropped their record down to 3-2.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Pendleton Heights have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 41.8% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Roncalli struggles in that department as they've nailed 47% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
