Basketball Recap: Owen Eldridge's Big Game Can't Quite Lead North Decatur over Rushville

North Decatur had taken Rushville down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Thursday. The North Decatur Chargers took a 58-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Rushville Lions. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Chargers of the 65-55 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in February of 2024.

North Decatur lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Owen Eldridge, who posted eight points and six boards. Another player making a difference was Owen Rennekamp, who earned ten points.

Even though they lost, North Decatur smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in four consecutive matchups.

Rushville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but XxZavien Jenkins led the charge by going 7-for-11 en route to 20 points and eight rebounds. Those 20 points gave Jenkins a new career-high. Zy Adams was another key player, putting up 11 points and five boards.

North Decatur's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-13. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points over those games. As for Rushville, their win ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-18.

North Decatur and Rushville are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. North Decatur will challenge Knightstown at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. North Decatur is facing Knightstown at the right time seeing as Knightstown is stuck on a 15-game losing streak. As for Rushville, they will square off against New Palestine at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. New Palestine knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 24 contests -- so hopefully Rushville likes a good challenge.