The Lapel Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Heritage Christian Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lapel is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last seven games.
Last Thursday, Lapel strolled past the Tigers with points to spare, taking the game 66-49. Given Lapel's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 103rd, while the Tigers are ranked 301st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lapel to victory, but perhaps none more so than Bode Judge, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. It was the first time this season that Judge posted two or more blocks. Another player making a difference was Devin Craig, who scored 14 points.
Meanwhile, Heritage Christian pushed their score all the way to 56 last Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. Their tough 77-56 defeat to North Central might stick with them for a while. Heritage Christian has been going strong on the season, but this is now their second defeat in a row.
Heritage Christian's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Luke Peters, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks, and Cole Louden who scored 11 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Daniel J greene, who scored 14 points.
Lapel pushed their record up to 12-5 with that win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.4 points per game. As for Heritage Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lapel have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Heritage Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lapel was taken down by the Eagles 70-43 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Can Lapel avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
