Basketball Game Preview: Lancaster Bruins vs. Northwestern Trojans

The Lancaster Bruins and the Northwestern Trojans will compete for holiday cheer at 7:45 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Lancaster's favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Northwestern has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

Lancaster is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Dynamic Prep, who was ranked 17th in their home state at the time (Lancaster was ranked second). Lancaster took a blow against Dynamic Prep on Friday, falling 101-58. The matchup marked the Bruins' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Despite the defeat, Lancaster got top-tier performance from Jordan Watford, who went 11 of 19 on his way to 26 points along with six assists and three steals. That's the most assists Watford has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Rj Brown, who went 5 for 12 en route to 12 points.

Even though they lost, Lancaster 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 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Northwestern came up short against A.C. Flora on Wednesday and fell 56-44.

Having lost for the first time this season, Lancaster fell to 5-1. As for Northwestern, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.

Lancaster strolled past Northwestern in their previous matchup last Thursday by a score of 61-42. Does Lancaster have another victory up their sleeve, or will Northwestern turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.