Portage Central is 8-2 against Mattawan since February of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Portage Central Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the Mattawan Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Portage Central will be coming into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
Last Friday, Portage Central was able to grind out a solid win over Lakeview, taking the game 48-36. Given Portage Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while Lakeview is ranked 381st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Mattawan had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They secured a 41-35 W over St. Joseph on Friday.
Delaney Elsmore continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. That makes it 12 consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Mattawan's points. Caitlin Ryan was another key contributor, scoring six points along with two steals.
Portage Central pushed their record up to 14-0 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.8 points per game. As for Mattawan, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Portage Central skirted past Mattawan 42-40 in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Portage Central since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
