Basketball Game Preview: North Park Wildcats vs. Saratoga Panthers

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Wildcats face off against the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Park has now lost 14 straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 13.

Last Saturday, North Park came up short against Vail Christian and fell 53-45.

Paige Solano

Field Goal Percentage (Career)

02/15/25 @ Vail Christian	80%
12/06/24 vs Peetz	60%
02/07/25 vs Hayden	50%
02/01/25 vs Vail Mountain	50%
01/24/25 @ West Grand	50%

Despite the defeat, North Park saw an underclassman step up: freshman Paige Solano posted eight points in addition to ten boards and five steals. The dominant performance also gave Solano a new career-high in shooting accuracy (80%). Another player making a difference was Brooklynn Weber, who earned 14 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, North Park was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 27-27 at halftime, Saratoga was not quite Little Snake River's equal in the second half on Saturday. They took a 57-50 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Rattlers. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Rattlers: they've now lost four in a row.

Saratoga's defeat dropped their record down to 9-9. As for North Park, their loss dropped their record down to 2-15.

North Park was dealt a bruising 70-36 defeat at the hands of Saratoga in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Will North Park have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.