The Independence Patriots will take on the Butler Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Independence knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Butler likes a good challenge.
Independence was handed a heart-breaking three-point loss in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Rocky River on Tuesday. Everything went Independence's way against Rocky River as Independence made off with a 71-49 win. The victory continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Ravens: they've now won seven in a row.
Independence's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaleb Jasper led the charge by going 6 for 14 en route to 21 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. That's the most steals Jasper has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Lusemo Macharia, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 12 points along with eight boards and four blocks.
Independence smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Butler suffered their closest defeat since January 7th on Friday. They fell just short of Charlotte Catholic by a score of 52-50. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 119th, while the Cougars are ranked 34th).
This is the second loss in a row for Butler and nudges their season record down to 13-10. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 1.5 points. As for Independence, their win bumped their record up to 18-5.
Independence came up short against Butler in their previous meeting back in January, falling 56-44. Will Independence have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
