After three games on the road, Barry Western is heading back home. They will take on the West Prairie Cyclones at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Friday, Barry Western was beaten by Pittsfield 66-39. While losing is never fun, Barry Western can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 654th, while Pittsfield is ranked 260th).
Despite their loss, Barry Western saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Mason Smith, who scored 21 points, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Casen Tobias, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, West Prairie came up short against Augusta Southeastern on Tuesday and fell 56-45. West Prairie has struggled against Augusta Southeastern recently, as their game on Tuesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the loss, West Prairie saw an underclassman step up: Braden Coplan scored 21 points. Coplan is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last 15 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Clayton Hunt, who scored ten points.
Barry Western has been struggling recently as they've lost ten of their last 12 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-21 record this season. As for West Prairie, their loss dropped their record down to 4-25.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Barry Western haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 1.9 turnovers per game. However, it's not like West Prairie struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 0.8 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Barry Western strolled past West Prairie in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 by a score of 47-30. Does Barry Western have another victory up their sleeve, or will West Prairie turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
