Basketball Game Preview: Carroll Cougars vs. Northwestern Tigers

The Carroll Cougars will challenge the Northwestern Tigers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Carroll has seven straight wins, Northwestern has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

On Tuesday, Carroll earned a 51-44 victory over Tri-County.

Jillian Salts

Blocked Shots

12/09/25 vs Tri-County	6
12/04/25 @ Western	0
11/21/25 vs Clinton Central	3
11/18/25 vs North White	5
02/07/25 vs Clinton Central	3
+ 17 more games

Jillian Salts produced another solid performance dropping a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. What's more, she racked up six blocks, the most she's had since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Tristan Harter, who posted six points and seven boards.

Carroll smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Northwestern was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 40-36 to Eastern.

Northwestern's defeat dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Carroll, their win bumped their record up to 7-0.

Carroll barely slipped by Northwestern when the teams last played back in December of 2024, winning 47-46. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.