Basketball Game Preview: Henry-Senachwine Mallards vs. St. Bede Bruins

Henry-Senachwine hasn't had much luck against St. Bede recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Henry-Senachwine Mallards will head out to take on the St. Bede Bruins at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Tuesday, Henry-Senachwine was fully in charge, breezing past Galva 55-20. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-9.

Lauren Harbison and Kaitlyn Anderson were among the main playmakers for Henry-Senachwine as the former almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds and the latter dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 boards. Harbison is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Brynna Anderson, who posted seven points and four steals.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask St. Bede). They strolled past Putnam County with points to spare on Monday, taking the game 49-30. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Bruins with their most commanding win of the season.

St. Bede's win came from a few key players Henry-Senachwine will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Savannah Bray, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in assists (three). Another player making a difference was Ashlyn Ehm, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.

Henry-Senachwine's record is now 3-7. As for St. Bede, their record now sits at 3-6.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Henry-Senachwine has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.7 boards per game. However, it's not like St. Bede struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Henry-Senachwine was taken down by St. Bede 53-26 when the teams last played back in January. Thankfully for Henry-Senachwine, Ali Bosnich (who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.