The Defiance Bulldogs will square off against the Van Wert Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Defiance is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Wauseon on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Defiance came up short against Wauseon, falling 50-30. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Indians recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Meanwhile, Van Wert was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 46-41 to Bryan. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, Van Wert saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jazzlyn Florence went 7 for 12 on her way to 20 points. The dominant performance gave Florence a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Amaya Dowdy, who posted ten points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.
Even though they lost, Van Wert smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Defiance's record now sits at 3-9. As for Van Wert, their record is now 2-9.
Defiance couldn't quite finish off Van Wert in their previous matchup back in January of 2024 and fell 46-44. Can Defiance avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
