Western and Carroll are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2017, but not for long. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Western Panthers face off against the Carroll Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Western focused on turnovers this week as the team gave up 13 two weeks ago.
Western is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Tipton, posting a 63-26 victory.
Western's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ellyse Walden led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds. What's more, Walden also racked up two assists, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Rhiana Bowman was another key player, going 6 for 9 en route to 13 points plus eight rebounds and two steals.
Western was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Carroll entered their tilt with Northwestern on Tuesday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They pulled ahead with a 47-46 photo finish over the Tigers.
Carroll got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Eliza Rinehart out in front who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Mady Isley, who earned eight points along with six rebounds and six steals.
The victory got Western back to even at 2-2. As for Carroll, their win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Western has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Carroll struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.4. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Western came up short against Carroll in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 61-53. Can Western avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
