The Iola Bulldogs will take on the Hearne Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Iola: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Hearne has snatched up seven consecutive wins on the road dating back to last season.
On Tuesday, Iola sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 49-46 victory over Snook.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Hearne faced off against Snook on Friday. Hearne took their matchup with ease, bagging a 70-33 win over Snook. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 21 points or more this season.
Iola better keep an eye on Dereion Mitchell. He was instrumental in Hearne's win, dropping a double-double on 21 points and 18 boards. The dominant performance gave Mitchell a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Zayden Mercer, who went 6 of 12 en route to 14 points and five assists.
Hearne smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 25 consecutive contests.
Hearne has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 21-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.5 points per game. As for Iola, their victory bumped their record up to 9-12.
Iola came up short against Hearne in their previous meeting on January 7th, falling 63-53. Will Iola have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
