The Lapel Bulldogs will be taking part in a tournament against the Pendleton Heights Arabians at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lapel comes in on six and Pendleton Heights on three.
Last Thursday, Lapel greeted the New Year with with a 61-43 victory over Winchester Community. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 118th, while the Golden Falcons are ranked 240th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/02/25 vs Winchester Community | 4 |
| 11/30/23 vs Greenfield-Central | 3 |
| 12/06/23 @ Madison-Grant | 3 |
| 11/28/23 vs Yorktown | 3 |
| 02/02/24 vs Wapahani | 2 |
Lapel's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Taylor Mroz, who posted 15 points. The dominant performance also gave Mroz a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was Laniah Wills, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Pendleton Heights hadn't done well against Jay County recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Pendleton Heights simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Jay County 77-27. The Arabians have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 22 points or more this season.
Lapel better keep an eye on Kaycie Warfel. She was instrumental in Pendleton Heights' win, going 15 of 24 on her way to 37 points in addition to seven steals and six boards. Warfel's evening made it 25 games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Jones, who dropped a triple-double on 11 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists.
Pendleton Heights smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in ten consecutive games.
Lapel's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-5. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Pendleton Heights, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lapel has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Pendleton Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lapel came up short against Pendleton Heights in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 57-44. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Warfel, who went 10 of 21 on her way to 25 points along with six rebounds and six steals. Now that Lapel knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
