The Monroe Central Golden Bears will face off against the Shenandoah Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Monroe Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61.5 points per game this season.
Monroe Central is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Tournament Opponent just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of Tournament Opponent by a score of 39-37. The game marked the Golden Bears' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Despite the loss, Monroe Central got top-tier performance from Easton Foster, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 59.5% of Monroe Central's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Morgan, who put up eight points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Shenandoah was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 46-40 to Tri.
Monroe Central will have to keep a close watch on Jarrett Helman and Aiden Coffey, a pair of players who had a big impact on Shenandoah's prior game. Helman had two points along with 16 boards and four steals, while Coffey earned 13 points. Those 16 rebounds gave Helman a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddux Davis, who posted seven points.
Even though they lost, Shenandoah smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tri only pulled down four offensive boards.
Monroe Central's defeat dropped their record down to 8-2. As for Shenandoah, their loss dropped their record down to 8-3.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Monroe Central hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 61.5 points per game. However, it's not like Shenandoah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 55 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Monroe Central came up short against Shenandoah in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 39-35. Will Monroe Central have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
