The Columbus North Bull Dogs will head out to take on the Roncalli Royals at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Columbus North has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 174 points over their last three matches.
Last Friday, Columbus North was able to grind out a solid win over Bloomington North, taking the game 56-47.
Columbus North can attribute much of their success to Kaylie Harmon, who went 6 of 9 on her way to 18 points, and Ava Wilson, who went 7 for 14 en route to 19 points. Another player making a difference was Kenna Conrad, who posted five points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Columbus North smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Roncalli had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.7 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They managed a 42-37 victory over the Tigers. The score was all tied up 18-18 at the break, but the Royals were the better team in the second half.
Columbus North better focus on containing Elliot Leffler and Brennah Cerny as the pair were huge in Roncalli's win. Leffler had 16 points and seven boards, while Cerny put up nine points and three steals. Cerny is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Sara Rosko also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
Roncalli pushed their record up to 13-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Columbus North, their record is now 15-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Columbus North has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Roncalli struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Columbus North might still be hurting after the 66-40 loss they got from Roncalli when the teams last played back in January of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Columbus North was down 37-16.
