Southmont hasn't had much luck against Danville recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Southmont Mounties will head out to face off against the Danville Warriors at 6:00 p.m. Southmont has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Last Thursday, Southmont didn't have quite enough to beat Covenant Christian and fell 49-47. While losing is never fun, the Mounties can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 247th, while the Warriors are ranked 83rd).
Southmont's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Layla Gomez, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 15 boards, and Ella Barry, who went 7 of 11 on her way to 20 points and five rebounds. That was a full 42.6% of Southmont's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Danville on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Greencastle out of the water with a 74-23 final score. The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 32 points or more this season.
Southmont better keep an eye on Emma Ancelet. She was instrumental in Danville's win, going 7 of 12 on her way to 18 points along with seven assists and seven boards. The contest was Ancelet's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jillian Conrad, who went 6 of 12 on her way to 13 points and four steals.
Southmont's defeat dropped their record down to 3-7. As for Danville, their victory was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Southmont has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Danville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Southmont came up short against Danville in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 45-35. Can Southmont avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
