Lafayette Jefferson has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the West Lafayette Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Lafayette Jefferson suffered their biggest defeat since November 29, 2023 on Tuesday. They were beaten by Benton Central 61-33. While losing is never fun, Lafayette Jefferson can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 304th, while Benton Central is ranked 33rd).
Lafayette Jefferson got a good chunk of their points from the dynamic duo of
Amani Byrd and
Shaylee Barrett, who each put up six points. Barrett also led the team in assists with three. She held things down on the boards with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, West Lafayette pushed their score all the way to 60 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 68-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of Rensselaer Central. That's two games in a row now that West Lafayette has lost by exactly eight points.
Despite the defeat, West Lafayette got a solid performance out of Adrianne Tolen, who scored 30 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Tolen has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Molly Andrew, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds.
Lafayette Jefferson has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-14 record this season. As for West Lafayette, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 11-8.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lafayette Jefferson have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 22.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like West Lafayette struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 31.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lafayette Jefferson was taken down by West Lafayette 64-27 in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. Can Lafayette Jefferson avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
