The Portage Indians are on the road again on Tuesday and plays the Lake Station Edison Fighting Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on February 6th. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Thursday, Portage took a serious blow against the Bulldogs, falling 68-39. While losing is never fun, Portage can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 94th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 28th).
Portage's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jaelyn Johnson, who scored seven points along with six rebounds, and Michael Wellman who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Portage struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Lake Station Edison's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their seventh straight loss. They took a hard 67-53 fall against Kouts. That's two games in a row now that Lake Station Edison has lost by exactly 14 points.
Portage's loss dropped their record down to 9-8. As for Lake Station Edison, their defeat was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-15.
Portage came out on top in a nail-biter against the Fighting Eagles in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, sneaking past 64-61. The rematch might be a little tougher for Portage since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
