Northern Highlands and Wayne Valley are an even 3-3 against one another since February of 2016, but not for long. The Northern Highlands Highlanders will be playing at home against the Wayne Valley Indians at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Northern Highlands' favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five games.
Northern Highlands is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Teaneck just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 78-68 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Highwaymen. While the Highlanders didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Highwaymen 15-11 in the first quarter.
| 01/28/25 @ Teaneck | 23 |
| 12/19/24 vs Don Bosco Prep | 17 |
| 12/27/24 vs Montclair | 16 |
| 01/11/25 vs Dwight Morrow | 14 |
| 02/27/24 vs Morris Knolls | 11 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Pharoahe Dixon, who went 7 for 11 on his way to 23 points in addition to six rebounds and three blocks. Those 23 points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lucas Dipasupil, who posted 22 points.
Even though they lost, Northern Highlands smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Wayne Valley came up short against Red Bank Catholic on Saturday and fell 61-53. While the Indians didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Caseys 14-10 in the first quarter.
Northern Highlands will have to contain Luke Rubino as he made an impact in Wayne Valley's last game. He almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick D'Apolito, who scored eight points along with six assists and four steals.
Wayne Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 11-6. As for Northern Highlands, their loss dropped their record down to 11-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Northern Highlands has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 26.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Wayne Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Northern Highlands came out on top in a nail-biter against Wayne Valley in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, sneaking past 53-51. Will Northern Highlands repeat their success, or does Wayne Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
