The Purchase Line Red Dragons will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the Harmony Area Owls at 7:15 p.m. on January 22nd. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Purchase Line suffered their biggest loss since December 15, 2023 on Thursday. They were beaten by Marion Center 59-30. Purchase Line found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post nine fewer assists than your opponent.
Despite the defeat, Purchase Line had strong showings from Jakob Mountain, who scored six points along with six rebounds, and Jacob Kauffman, who scored eight points.
Purchase Line struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. They are winless (0-4) when they just don't pass the ball.
While Harmony Area couldn't quite beat Blacklick Valley last Wednesday, the three-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 26-point defeat they were dealt two weeks ago. Harmony Area fell just short of Blacklick Valley by a score of 66-63. Harmony Area just can't catch a break and has now endured seven defeats in a row.
Harmony Area's defeat came about despite a quality game from Jack Bracken, who scored 38 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks. That was a full 60.3% of Harmony Area's points, marking the seventh time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of JJ Sward, who scored nine points.
Purchase Line's loss was their 11th straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 1-15. As for Harmony Area, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-12 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Purchase Line have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 23.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Harmony Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 24.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Purchase Line was able to grind out a solid win over Harmony Area in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 69-56. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Bracken, who dropped a double-double on 37 points and 13 rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Purchase Line still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
