The Bethany Christian Bruins will challenge the Lakeland Lakers at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with seven consecutive losses for Bethany Christian and four for Lakeland.
Bethany Christian lost 58-34 to La Lumiere last Saturday.
Despite the loss, Bethany Christian had strong showings from Amari Yoder Lind, who posted eight points and 11 rebounds, and Karlee Crume, who had ten points and eight rebounds.
Even though they lost, Bethany Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Lakeland lost to Fairfield on the road by a 56-39 margin on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Lakers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 265th, while the Falcons are ranked 76th).
Bethany Christian will need focus on slowing down Cara Schackow, one of several Lakeland players who made an impact when they last played. She put up six points and six rebounds. Schackow is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Zoey Bowman, who earned ten points and seven boards.
Lakeland's defeat dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Bethany Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Bethany Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lakeland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Bethany Christian against Lakeland when the teams last played back in December of 2023, as the team secured a 59-23 victory. Does Bethany Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lakeland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
