Southwestern is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Jac-Cen-Del is on a seven-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Southwestern Rebels will take on the Jac-Cen-Del Eagles at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Saturday, Southwestern earned a 41-34 win over Rising Sun.
Southwestern's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ashley Fulton led the charge by scoring eight points along with seven rebounds and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Rorie Scroggins, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Jac-Cen-Del was able to grind out a solid win over South Ripley on Tuesday, taking the game 49-37.
Jac-Cen-Del's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Julia Meyer, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Reagan Hughes, who scored 15 points.
Southwestern's victory bumped their record up to 13-10. As for Jac-Cen-Del, they are on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Southwestern have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jac-Cen-Del struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Southwestern suffered a grim 55-34 defeat to Jac-Cen-Del in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. Thankfully for Southwestern, Olivia Neal (who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
