The Plainfield Quakers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 22 points or more this season. They put the hurt on Southport with a sharp 75-53 win on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Plainfield.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Plainfield to victory, but perhaps none more so than Noah Smith, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds. Those 12 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Eli Ellis was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five assists.
Southport's loss came despite strong showings from James Kalala and Michael Johnson. Kalala scored 13 points along with eight rebounds, while Johnson scored 11 points along with eight rebounds. The match was Johnson's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jack Turner, who scored 12 points.
Plainfield pushed their record up to 8-3 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Southport, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-6.
Plainfield will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Northview at 7:30 p.m. on January 13, 2024. Southport will finish 2023 at home by hosting Franklin Central at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Indiana (Franklin Central is ranked 161st, while Southport is ranked 170th).
