The Maconaquah Braves scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 98-78 margin over Western. Maconaquah has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 20 points or more this season.
Josiah Ball was his usual excellent self, shooting 4-for-8 from deep and almost dropping a double-double on 50 points and nine rebounds. That makes it eight consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Maconaquah's points. AJ Kelly was another key contributor, scoring 18 points.
Western's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sam Thurston, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 22 points and 6 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thurston has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson Biggs, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Maconaquah pushed their record up to 11-4 with that win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 25.5 points. As for Western, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-14.
Maconaquah will be playing at home against the Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Carroll will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Indiana Rankings (they are ranked 205th, while the Braves are ranked 95th). As for Western, they will head out on the road to take on the Tigers at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday.
