South Bend Washington is on a three-game streak of home wins, while New Prairie is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The South Bend Washington Panthers will take on the New Prairie Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Saturday, South Bend Washington was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 62-58 to Jennings County. While losing is never fun, South Bend Washington can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 39th, while Jennings County is ranked fourth).
Despite their defeat, South Bend Washington saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Ryiah Wilson, who scored 19 points along with 6 steals and 5 assists, was perhaps the best of all. The game was Wilson's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Monique Mitchell, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds.
New Prairie has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 21 points or more this season. They blew past South Bend Clay 57-28 on the road.
New Prairie had a senior duo take command as Jayden Flagg scored 17 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 steals and Jolie Johns scored 15 points along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Johns has scored at least 25% of New Prairie's points. Another player making a difference was Morgan White, who scored 9 points along with 5 assists.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 6-2.
Everything came up roses for South Bend Washington against New Prairie when the teams last played back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 103-67 win. Will South Bend Washington repeat their success, or does New Prairie have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
