Western Boone and Southmont are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. Both will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Western Boone is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
Last Saturday, Western Boone came up short against Clinton Prairie and fell 61-51. While losing is never fun, the Stars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 243rd, while the Gophers are ranked 87th).
| 12/14/24 vs Clinton Prairie | 5 |
| 12/02/23 vs Taylor | 5 |
| 12/05/23 @ Covington | 7 |
| 02/03/24 vs Clinton Central | 4 |
| 12/08/23 vs Lebanon | 7 |
Despite their defeat, Western Boone saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Gavin Hawkins, who posted ten points along with five assists and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. That's the most assists Hawkins has posted since back in December of 2023. Marcus Fortner was another key player, putting up 11 points and six boards.
Hawkins wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Western Boone was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Southmont's undefeated season came to an end after five games on Saturday. They fell just short of Greencastle by a score of 62-59. The game marked the Mounties' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Vince Reimondo and Nathan Sutherlin. Sutherlin had a solid game and went 6 of 13 on his way to 14 points and five assists. Meanwhile, Reimondo did his best for the losing side, going 5 of 11 on his way to 13 points.
Western Boone's loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Southmont, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 5-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Western Boone has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Southmont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Western Boone was able to grind out a solid victory over Southmont in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 58-45. The rematch might be a little tougher for Western Boone since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
