Monroe Central and Blackford are an even 3-3 against one another since November of 2014, but not for long. The Monroe Central Golden Bears will be home for the holidays to greet the Blackford Bruins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Indiana (Monroe Central is ranked 101st, while Blackford is ranked 76th).
Monroe Central unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 46-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lapel. Monroe Central has not had much luck with Lapel recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite their defeat, Monroe Central saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Sydney Patterson, who scored ten points, was perhaps the best of all. Patterson scored a full 28.6% of Monroe Central's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kimber Abshear, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and five blocks.
Monroe Central struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Blackford has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 26 points or more this season. They took their match at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 67-4 win over Elwood. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Blackford has managed all season.
Sydnee Morris was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 22 points and ten steals. Those ten steals set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Wicker, who scored 14 points.
Monroe Central's defeat dropped their record down to 9-3. As for Blackford, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Monroe Central have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Blackford, though, as they've been averaging only 28.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Monroe Central came up short against Blackford in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, falling 53-48. Will Monroe Central have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
