Smethport is 0-10 against Otto-Eldred since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Smethport Hubbers will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Otto-Eldred Terrors at 6:00 p.m.
Last Friday, Smethport was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 44-39 to Port Allegany. Smethport has not had much luck with Port Allegany recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Elizabeth Hungiville, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. The match was her third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jaidyn Goodman, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Otto-Eldred had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They walked away with a 42-30 win over Austin.
Otto-Eldred found their leader in underclassman Ayla Van Scoter, who scored 12 points. Those 12 points set a new season-high mark for her. Kate Rhinehart was another key contributor, scoring three points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Smethport bumped their record down to 2-8 with that defeat, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Otto-Eldred, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Smethport have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Otto-Eldred, though, as they've been averaging only 28.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Smethport was taken down by Otto-Eldred 62-24 in their previous meeting back in February. Thankfully for Smethport, Katie Sheeler (who scored 21 points along with nine assists and seven 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.
