The Newport Wildcats entered their tilt with the Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Newport blew past Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian 79-54. Given Newport's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 12th in Kentucky, while Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian is ranked 81st in Indiana), the result on Saturday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Newport found their leader in underclassman Tay Kinney, who went 7 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 49 points and 0 assists. The contest was Kinney's 15th in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jabari Covington, who scored nine points along with seven assists and four steals.
Newport is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. As for Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 7-3.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Newport will take on Highlands at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Highlands knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matches -- so hopefully Newport likes a good challenge. As for Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Mishawaka at 7:30 p.m.