Woodlan is 8-1 against Prairie Heights since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Woodlan Warriors will look to defend their home court against the Prairie Heights Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Woodlan is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Prairie Heights in Indiana (Woodlan is ranked 128th, while Prairie Heights is ranked 260th).
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 enjoyed a cozy 63-49 victory over South Adams. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Woodlan.
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.
Meanwhile, things could have been worse for Prairie Heights, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 51-35 loss to Fremont on Saturday. Prairie Heights has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, Prairie Heights saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Emily McCrea, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Sarah Park was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Woodlan has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. As for Prairie Heights, their defeat was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Woodlan have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Prairie Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Woodlan's way against Prairie Heights when the teams last played back in January of 2023 as Woodlan made off with a 59-33 win. With Woodlan ahead 40-12 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
