Two dominant guards in Maddie Hartel and Olivia Mortensen are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Erie Tigers will head out on the road to square off against the Legacy Lightning at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Erie is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Legacy in Colorado (Erie is ranked 27th, while Legacy is ranked 150th).
Erie has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a 49-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Horizon on Friday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Erie has scored all season.
The losing side was boosted by Hartel, who scored 11 points along with three steals. Alexandria Ridenour was another key contributor, scoring four points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Legacy suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Saturday. They were outmatched by Legend on the road and fell 82-36. Legacy has struggled against Legend recently, as their match on Saturday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Legacy's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Meghan Allshouse, who scored 12 points along with six assists, and Mortensen who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds. Mortensen is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season.
Erie's defeat dropped their record down to 7-3. As for Legacy, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-8 record this season.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Erie have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 25.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Legacy, though, as they've been averaging only 26.9 rebounds per game. Given Erie's sizeable advantage in that area, Legacy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Erie was able to grind out a solid win over Legacy when the teams last played back in January of 2023, winning 47-39. The rematch might be a little tougher for Erie since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
