Prairie Heights is 1-8 against Woodlan since November of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Prairie Heights Panthers will head out on the road to challenge the Woodlan Warriors at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Prairie Heights focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Saturday.
Last Saturday, Prairie Heights lost to Fremont at home by a decisive 51-35 margin. Prairie Heights has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Emily McCrea, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds. Sarah Park was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up nine more assists than your opponent, a fact Woodlan proved on Saturday. They strolled past South Adams with points to spare, taking the game 63-49. Given Woodlan's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 128th, while South Adams is ranked 264th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Woodlan found their leader in underclassman Alyssa Anderson, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Anderson is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Taylor Kneubuhler, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds.
Prairie Heights has been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season. As for Woodlan, they pushed their record up to 14-8 with that win, which was their third straight on the road.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Prairie Heights have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Woodlan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Prairie Heights might still be hurting after the 59-33 defeat they got from Woodlan when the teams last played back in January of 2023. Thankfully for Prairie Heights, AVAH SMITH (who scored 25 points along with seven rebounds and four steals) 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.
