vs
| 01/05/24 - Away | 56-36 W |
| 01/05/23 - Home | 65-27 W |
| 01/07/22 - Away | 68-42 W |
| 01/08/21 - Home | 70-33 W |
| 01/23/20 - Away | 54-41 W |
| + 5 more games |
Penn is 9-1 against South Bend St. Joseph since January of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Penn Kingsmen will host the South Bend St. Joseph Huskies at 7:30 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
South Bend St. Joseph will be up against a hot Penn team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Penn claimed a resounding 69-11 win over New Prairie. The Kingsmen have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 23 points or more this season.
Penn's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jessa Troy, who went 5 for 7 on her way to 15 points in addition to seven assists and three steals. Another player making a difference was Addison Hummel, who went 5 of 6 en route to 11 points.
Meanwhile, South Bend St. Joseph made easy work of Hobart on Saturday and carried off a 46-22 win. Given the Huskies' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 118th, while the Brickies are ranked 336th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Penn better keep an eye on Kenadie Schrock. She was instrumental in South Bend St. Joseph's win, putting up 13 points and five steals. Schrock is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last seven games she's played. Karli Brooke was another key player, posting nine points and five boards.
South Bend St. Joseph smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive contests.
Penn has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.5 points per game. As for South Bend St. Joseph, their victory bumped their record up to 12-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Penn has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 24.6 boards per game. However, it's not like South Bend St. Joseph struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Penn's way against South Bend St. Joseph in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as Penn made off with a 56-36 win. Does Penn have another victory up their sleeve, or will South Bend St. Joseph turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
