North Newton and Tri-County are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. The North Newton Spartans will square off against the Tri-County Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
North Newton saw some tournament action on Friday. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 36-28 loss to North Montgomery.
June Busboom put forth a good effort for the losing side as she posted 13 points and four steals. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, Tri-County waltzed into their matchup back in December of 2024 with 11 straight wins... but they left with 12. They walked away with a 44-33 victory over the Trojans. Given the Cavaliers' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 69th, while the Trojans are ranked 205th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
North Newton better focus on containing Grace Luck and Sara Zarse as the pair were huge in Tri-County's win. Luck earned eight points along with seven steals and six assists, while Zarse had 12 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. Zarse is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 35 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Lyzzy Bahler, who put up six points and three steals.
Tri-County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 38 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
North Newton has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season. As for Tri-County, they pushed their record up to 13-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Newton has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Tri-County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Newton lost to Tri-County on the road by a decisive 51-32 margin when the teams last played back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Zarse, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. Now that North Newton knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
