After a string of 14 wins, the Tipton Blue Devils's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They lost to Kokomo on the road by a decisive 70-51 margin. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Tipton in their matchups with Kokomo: they've now lost five in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Tipton lost, one person who can't be blamed is Grady Carpenter. Despite the final result, he scored 23 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Carpenter has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times he's played. Jackson Money was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with seven rebounds.
Kokomo's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Flory Bidunga led the charge by dropping a double-double on 24 points and 16 rebounds. Bidunga is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Karson Rogers, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Tipton's loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-1. As for Kokomo, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-3 record this season.
Tipton will head out on the road to face off against Hamilton Heights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Kokomo, their homestand continues as they prepare to take on Lafayette Jefferson at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. Lafayette Jefferson will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Indiana Rankings (they are ranked 54th, while Kokomo is ranked ninth).
