The New Prairie Cougars's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a 41-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Boone Grove. New Prairie was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Boone Grove apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January.
Despite the loss, New Prairie still got an impressive performance from Reece Lapczynski, who scored 14 points along with six steals. Those six steals set a new season-high mark for him. Marshall Kmiecik was another key contributor, scoring four points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, New Prairie were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Boone Grove's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kam Dixon, who scored six points. Another player making a difference was Andrew Batesole, who scored nine points along with five assists.
New Prairie's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Boone Grove, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-5.
New Prairie will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Plymouth at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Hopefully Plymouth focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Tuesday. Boone Grove will finish 2023 at home by hosting Rensselaer Central at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
