Basketball Game Preview: North Central Thunderbirds vs. Shakamak Lakers

North Central is 8-2 against Shakamak since December of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The North Central Thunderbirds will face off against the Shakamak Lakers at 7:30 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

North Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They breezed by Bloomfield to the tune of 56-29. The Thunderbirds have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matches by 24 points or more this season.

North Central had a senior duo take command as Shelby Seay went 8 for 14 en route to 26 points along with six boards and six steals and Jalyn Davidson posted 18 points in addition to seven assists and five steals. Davidson's evening made it nine games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points.

Meanwhile, Shakamak had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They blew past Clay City 54-29 on Wednesday.

The win (which was North Central's sixth in a row) raised their record to 21-3. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.2 points per game. As for Shakamak, their victory bumped their record up to 13-11.

North Central came up short against Shakamak when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 66-60. Can North Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.