Iroquois is 1-9 against Mercyhurst Prep since February of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Iroquois Braves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mercyhurst Prep Lakers at 7:30 p.m. The timing isn't great for Iroquois: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Mercyhurst Prep has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.
Last Tuesday, Iroquois came up short against North East and fell 56-43.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Orlando Brown, who scored 15 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Devin Brink, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Mercyhurst Prep over Erie First Christian Academy in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Mercyhurst Prep blew Erie First Christian Academy out of the water with a 76-42 final score. Given Mercyhurst Prep's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 265th, while Erie First Christian Academy is ranked 597th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mercyhurst Prep's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Tanner Ashton, who scored 13 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Derek Bly, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Iroquois' defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-9. As for Mercyhurst Prep, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 11-7 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Iroquois have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mercyhurst Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Iroquois won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in January, slipping by Mercyhurst Prep 53-52. Will Iroquois repeat their success, or does Mercyhurst Prep have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
