Basketball Game Preview: Marion Giants vs. Lawrence North Wildcats

Marion is 1-7 against Lawrence North since December of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Marion Giants will square off against the Lawrence North Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Marion sitting on four straight wins and Lawrence North on six.

Last Saturday, Marion was able to grind out a solid victory over Huntington North, taking the game 73-60. Given the Giants' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 62nd, while the Vikings are ranked 216th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Logan Barnes and Tim Jones were among the main playmakers for Marion as the former went 6 of 11 on his way to 17 points and eight rebounds and the latter went 6 of 13 on his way to 18 points and four steals. Jones' evening made it seven games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Amar Rogers, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 13 points.

Marion 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 three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up 2024 than the 71-42 stomp they got against Franklin Central. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 29 points or more this season.

Marion's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.4 points per game. As for Lawrence North, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.

Marion suffered a grim 98-72 defeat to Lawrence North in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Can Marion avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.