The Rossville Hornets and the Carroll Cougars will face off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Rossville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They strolled past Frontier with points to spare, taking the game 52-33. The Hornets haven't had any issues with the Falcons recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Ava Burkle
| 01/17/25 @ Tri-Central | 7 |
| 12/30/24 vs North Newton | 7 |
| 01/14/25 @ Frankfort | 6 |
| 02/07/25 vs Frontier | 5 |
| 01/30/25 vs Tipton | 5 |
| + 17 more games |
Rossville relied on the efforts of Ava Burkle, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Allie Elliott, who posted 13 points and seven boards. Burkle also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Rossville is 12-2 when she posts at least three steals, but 4-6 otherwise. Caydence Robey was another key player, putting up five points and three steals.
Rossville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Carroll didn't have too much trouble with Clinton Central on Friday as they won 50-32. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Rossville better focus on containing Jillian Salts and Emily Justice as the pair were huge in Carroll's win. Salts almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds, while Justice put up 13 points and seven boards. What's more, Salts also racked up four assists, the most she's had since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mady Isley, who earned six points.
Rossville's victory bumped their record up to 16-8. As for Carroll, their win bumped their record up to 17-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rossville has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Carroll struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rossville came out on top in a nail-biter against Carroll when the teams last played back in December of 2024, sneaking past 36-33. Will Rossville repeat their success, or does Carroll have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
