North Newton hasn't had much luck against North White recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The North Newton Spartans will take on the North White Vikings at 5:30 p.m.
North Newton is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They were dealt a 42-6 loss at the hands of West Central. The Spartans were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-3.
They got a good chunk of their points from the dynamic duo of Jaylynn Lucas and Piper Ivey, who each put up two points. Rylynn Klemz held things down on the boards with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North White). They came out on top against Twin Lakes by a score of 49-42 last Thursday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Vikings.
North White's win came from a few key players North Newton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ella Hunt, who went 6 of 10 from beyond the arc on her way to 26 points and five steals. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Autumn Reif, who went 5 for 10 en route to 14 points and five rebounds.
North White was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Twin Lakes only posted seven assists.
North White has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-12 record this season. As for North Newton, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Newton has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.2 boards per game. However, it's not like North White struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Newton came up short against North White in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 36-31. Can North Newton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
