Basketball Game Preview: Wheeler Bearcats vs. Northwestern Tigers

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Wheeler Bearcats duke it out with the Northwestern Tigers at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday... Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Last Thursday, Wheeler was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 34-29 to Morgan Township. The defeat continues a trend for the Bearcats in their matchups with the Cherokees: they've now lost six in a row.

Despite the loss, Wheeler had strong showings from Kylie Simpson, who went 7 for 17 on her way to 14 points and six steals, and Izabela Schumacher, who posted six points in addition to 19 boards and four steals. Those 19 boards gave Schumacher a new career-high.

Meanwhile, Northwestern was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They received a blow as they fell 48-33 to Rochester. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 311th, while the Zebras are ranked 92nd).

Wheeler's loss dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Northwestern, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 3-8.

Wheeler came up short against Northwestern in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 43-34. Can Wheeler avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.