Heartland is 8-2 against El Dorado Christian since December of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Heartland Mustangs will look to defend their home court against the El Dorado Christian Buffalos at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Heartland has four straight victories, El Dorado Christian has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Tuesday, Heartland didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Overland Christian, but they still walked away with a 38-32 victory.
It was another big night for Esther Archibald, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 10 steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least 25% of Heartland's points. Another player making a difference was Kalei Hallam, who scored 11 points along with 7 rebounds.
Meanwhile, El Dorado Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 34-29 to Overland Christian.
Despite the defeat, El Dorado Christian had strong showings from McKenzie Cole, who scored 7 points along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds, and Cassie Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 17 rebounds.
Heartland's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for El Dorado Christian, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 1-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Heartland have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like El Dorado Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.8 per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Heartland strolled past El Dorado Christian in their previous matchup back in January by a score of 46-27. Does Heartland have another victory up their sleeve, or will El Dorado Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
