The Tri-West Hendricks Bruins will take on the Avon Orioles in a tournament on Friday. Tri-West Hendricks is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.4 points per game this season.
Last Saturday, Tri-West Hendricks opened the new year with a less-than-successful 71-61 defeat to McCutcheon.
Loss or not, Tri-West Hendricks got some senior leadership from Kellen Dakin and Wes Ward. Dakin went 8 for 18 on his way to 21 points, while Ward went 5 of 6 en route to 12 points in addition to six boards and six blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Miller, who posted 12 points.
Meanwhile, Avon came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They had just enough and edged the Bulldogs out 42-40. Given the Orioles' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while the Bulldogs are ranked 121st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tri-West Hendricks better keep an eye on Keriawn Berry. He was instrumental in Avon's win, going 6 of 9 on his way to 16 points along with six rebounds and four steals. The contest was Berry's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jedidiah Minnett, who put up nine points.
Avon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive games.
Avon's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for Tri-West Hendricks, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tri-West Hendricks has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Avon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Tri-West Hendricks came up short against Avon in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, falling 73-68. Will Tri-West Hendricks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
