vs
| 02/27/24 - Neutral | 51-47 W |
| 01/26/24 - Away | 73-48 W |
| 03/04/23 - Neutral | 41-43 L |
| 01/27/23 - Home | 69-49 W |
| 01/28/22 - Away | 51-48 W |
| + 5 more games |
Mishawaka Marian has gone 9-1 against South Bend Washington recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Mishawaka Marian Knights will host the South Bend Washington Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Mishawaka Marian is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering South Bend Riley just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 68-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats.
Despite their defeat, Mishawaka Marian saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Paxan Sullivan, who went 7 for 15 en route to 19 points and five assists, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was William Owens, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 17 points and six boards.
Meanwhile, South Bend Washington got the win against Jimtown on Saturday by a conclusive 82-58. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season.
Mishawaka Marian better keep an eye on Steven Reynolds. He was instrumental in South Bend Washington's win, dropping a double-double on 33 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which Reynolds has scored at least a third of South Bend Washington's points. The team also got some help courtesy of DaKori Parker, who went 6 for 12 en route to 14 points and five boards.
South Bend Washington smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive contests.
South Bend Washington is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.3 points per game. As for Mishawaka Marian, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 10-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mishawaka Marian has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 24.3 boards per game. However, it's not like South Bend Washington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Mishawaka Marian didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against South Bend Washington in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 51-47 win. Will Mishawaka Marian repeat their success, or does South Bend Washington have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
