New Prairie is 0-9 against the Knights since December of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The New Prairie Cougars will play host again and welcome the Mishawaka Marian Knights, where tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
New Prairie scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They breezed by Wheeler at home to the tune of 71-26. That 45 point margin sets a new team best for New Prairie this season.
New Prairie's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brody Wiginton led the charge by scoring 12 points along with six rebounds and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Reece Lapczynski, who scored nine points along with six steals.
Meanwhile, Mishawaka Marian had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.3 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They blew past Bremen 61-24 at home. Given Mishawaka Marian's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Lions are ranked 282nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Mishawaka Marian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jordan Maust, who scored 16 points along with five assists and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Maust has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Zion Rhoades, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and three steals.
New Prairie's win bumped their record up to 4-15. As for Mishawaka Marian, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-8 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: New Prairie have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mishawaka Marian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
New Prairie was taken down by the Knights 61-23 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Thankfully for New Prairie, Deaglan Sullivan (who scored 21 points along with six assists and six rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
