Emporia has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Topeka Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Topeka took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Emporia, who comes in off a win.
Last Tuesday, Emporia got the win against Hayden by a conclusive 50-24. Given Emporia's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 62nd, while Hayden is ranked 217th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Emporia relied on the efforts of Nolan Jacob, who scored 15 points along with two steals, and River Peters, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds. It was the first time this season that Jacob scored 15 or more points. Sheldon Stewart was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with nine assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, Topeka's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight defeat. They fell 61-53 to Manhattan. Topeka has struggled against Manhattan recently, as their contest on Tuesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Miguel Villegas, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points and 2 assists. He is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. The team also got some help courtesy of Da'mykel Hales, who scored 13 points along with five assists and two blocks.
Emporia is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for Topeka, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Emporia have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 42.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Topeka struggles in that department as they've made 37.2% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Emporia strolled past Topeka in their previous matchup last Tuesday by a score of 57-38. The rematch might be a little tougher for Emporia since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
