The Sullivan Golden Arrows will take on the Greencastle Tiger Cubs in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Sullivan didn't have too much breathing room in their game against North Putnam, but they still walked away with a 43-38 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Golden Arrows.
Sullivan found their leader in sophomore Paul Ridgway, who went 6 for 14 on his way to 19 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. Those three steals set a new season-high mark for Ridgway. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Bock, who posted ten points and six boards.
Sullivan smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Greencastle came tearing into Saturday's contest with three straight wins and they left with even more momentum. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Mounties 62-59.
The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Nathan Sutherlin and Vince Reimondo. Sutherlin had a solid game and went 6 of 13 on his way to 14 points and five assists. Meanwhile, Reimondo did his best for the losing side, going 5 of 11 on his way to 13 points.
Greencastle pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.2 points per game. As for Sullivan, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sullivan has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Greencastle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sullivan took their victory against Greencastle in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 76-56. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sullivan since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
