Basketball Game Preview: Northwestern Wildcats vs. North East Grape Pickers

Northwestern has gone 8-2 against North East recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Wildcats are taking a road trip to take on the Grape Pickers at 6:00 p.m. The contest will give Northwestern their first taste of in-conference action this season.

It was a proper cat-fight when Northwestern duked it out with Fairview on Tuesday. The Wildcats took a 35-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers. The loss put an end to the Wildcats' undefeated start to the season.

Makayla Presser-Palmer

Points

12/09/25 vs Fairview	23
12/06/25 vs Corry	25
12/05/25 vs Panama	29
03/11/25 vs Shady Side Academy	22
03/07/25 vs Avonworth	40
+ 21 more games

Despite the defeat, Northwestern got top-tier performance from Makayla Presser-Palmer, who dropped a double-double with 23 points and ten boards. Presser-Palmer has been hot for a while, having posted 15 or more points the last 26 times she's played.

Meanwhile, North East was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss dating back to last season. They lost 62-42 to Harbor Creek.

Having lost for the first time this season, Northwestern fell to 2-1. As for North East, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-1.

Everything came up roses for Northwestern against North East in their previous meeting back in January, as the squad secured a 66-37 win. In that game, the Wildcats amassed a halftime lead of 41-20, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.