The West Greene Pioneers will head out on the road to face off against the Bethlehem Center Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. West Greene has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Last Tuesday, West Greene was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 62-61 to Fort Cherry. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Saturday (57), the Pioneers still had to take the loss.
02/04/25 vs Fort Cherry | 24 |
02/01/25 @ Burgettstown | 35 |
01/28/25 vs Jefferson-Morgan | 18 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Lane Allison, who went 8 of 15 on his way to 24 points. The game was his third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker Burns, who went 7 for 14 en route to 14 points and seven boards.
Even though they lost, West Greene smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Bethlehem Center hadn't done well against Burgettstown recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Bethlehem Center walked away with a 50-40 victory over Burgettstown. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Bulldogs as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.
West Greene better keep an eye on Jason Zellie. He was instrumental in Bethlehem Center's win, putting up 22 points and three steals. Jonah Sussan was another key player, posting ten points and seven rebounds.
West Greene's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-8. As for Bethlehem Center, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: West Greene has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Bethlehem Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
West Greene didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Bethlehem Center when the teams last played back in January, but they still walked away with a 59-55 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for West Greene since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.