Martinsville came into Friday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Perry Meridian Falcons on Friday, sneaking past 53-50. This was payback for the Artesians, who suffered a 58-49 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Grady Gardner
| 01/24/25 vs Perry Meridian | 21 |
| 01/17/25 @ Bloomington North | 26 |
| 01/15/25 vs Bedford North Lawrence | 26 |
| 01/11/25 @ Decatur Central | 29 |
| 01/04/25 @ Seymour | 17 |
Martinsville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Grady Gardner led the charge by going 8 of 15 on his way to 21 points. The game was Gardner's eighth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Hunter Stroud, who went 6 for 13 en route to 14 points and six rebounds.
Martinsville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
Martinsville's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 4-9. As for Perry Meridian, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-11.
Martinsville and Perry Meridian could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Indiana Rankings. Martinsville (ranked 270th) will meet Bloomington South (ranked 65th) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Similarly, Perry Meridian will challenge Columbus North at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday down 182 places (221 vs. 39).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
