The Decatur Central Hawks will head out to face off against the Whiteland Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Decatur Central is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak.
Decatur Central came up short against Terre Haute North Vigo on Saturday, falling 66-43. While losing is never fun, the Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 189th, while the Patriots are ranked 16th).
Despite their loss, Decatur Central saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Elyas Zapata, who posted 13 points and six rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Lavell Love was another key player, going 5 of 10 en route to 11 points and six boards.
Meanwhile, Whiteland came up short against Seymour on Saturday and fell 62-53. The defeat continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Owls: they've now lost three in a row.
Decatur Central will have to contain Ethan Edwards as he made an impact in Whiteland's last game. He went 5 for 11 on his way to 18 points. Edwards' afternoon made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 18 points. Another player making a difference was Spencer Gillespie, who had seven points.
Decatur Central's loss dropped their record down to 5-13. As for Whiteland, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Decatur Central has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Whiteland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Decatur Central didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Whiteland when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 78-72 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Decatur Central since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
