The Eastern Hancock Royals were the 52-48 winner over the Lapel Bulldogs when they last played one another back in January of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Eastern Hancock took a 52-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lapel on Friday. While losing is never fun, Eastern Hancock can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 226th, while Lapel is ranked 103rd).
When it comes to explaining why Eastern Hancock lost, one person who can't be blamed is Kayden Ruble. Despite the final result, he scored 11 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Charlie Halcomb, who scored six points along with three steals.
Lapel's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Bode Judge, who scored 11 points. Another player making a difference was Devin Craig, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Eastern Hancock's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Lapel, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-5.
Eastern Hancock will take on Triton Central at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hopefully Triton Central focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Friday. As for Lapel, they will head out on the road to challenge Oak Hill at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Oak Hill is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
