vs
| 01/26/24 - Away | 61-25 W |
| 02/02/23 - Home | 51-29 W |
| 01/20/22 - Away | 39-35 W |
| 01/21/21 - Home | 48-45 W |
| 01/23/20 - Away | 43-31 W |
| + 5 more games |
Meridian has gone 9-1 against East Butler recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Meridian Mustangs will welcome the East Butler Tigers at 6:00 p.m.
Last Tuesday, Meridian lost to Twin River on the road by a 56-38 margin.
Meridian's loss came about despite a quality game from Jaylee Sobotka, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 16 boards. That was a full 34.2% of Meridian's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Taelyn Filipi, who earned eight points.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask East Butler). They claimed a resounding 58-30 win over Mead. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Tigers have posted since December 15, 2023.
Meridian better keep an eye on Lillie Kriz. She was instrumental in East Butler's win, shooting 5-for-7 from deep and almost dropping a double-double on 26 points and nine rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which Kriz has scored at least a third of East Butler's points. Margret Pekarek was another key player, putting up 12 points along with five boards and three steals.
East Butler smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
East Butler pushed their record up to 6-8 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points per game. As for Meridian, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Meridian has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 29.3 boards per game. However, it's not like East Butler struggles in that department as they've been averaging 41.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Meridian against East Butler when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 61-25 victory. In that matchup, Meridian amassed a halftime lead of 45-12, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
