Basketball Game Preview: Northfield Nighthawks vs. Denver South Ravens

An exciting North v. South battle is about to be fought. The Northfield Nighthawks will face off against the Denver South Ravens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Northfield knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 contests -- so hopefully Denver South likes a good challenge.

Northfield is headed into the game having just posted their closest win since December 13, 2024 on Wednesday. They skirted past Vista PEAK Prep 55-52. Given the Nighthawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Bison are ranked 109th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Denver South hadn't done well against Denver East recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Denver South walked away with a 66-55 victory over Denver East.

Northfield better focus on containing Brody Shepherd and Dominic Rhoades-Martinez as the pair were huge in Denver South's win. Shepherd went 7 for 10 en route to 21 points and six assists, while Rhoades-Martinez went 5 of 12 on his way to 15 points along with seven assists and six rebounds. Shepherd has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Shane Bierle was another key player, putting up four points and three steals.

Denver South was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Denver East only racked up ten assists.

Denver South pushed their record up to 10-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Northfield, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.

Northfield took their win against Denver South in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 72-47. Will Northfield repeat their success, or does Denver South have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.