The Joplin Eagles will take on the Washburn Rural Blues in a tournament on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Joplin took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 55-46 win over Nevada. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Eagles' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 162nd, while the Tigers are ranked 40th).
Meanwhile, Washburn Rural strolled past Emporia with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 42-28. The 42-point effort marked the Blues' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Washburn Rural's win came from a few key players Joplin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Simon Rowley, who went 5 for 11 en route to 13 points. Another player making a difference was Kaden Ballard, who posted nine points and six rebounds.
Joplin's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Washburn Rural, their record is now 6-2.
Joplin was taken down by Washburn Rural 68-30 in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. Can Joplin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
