Basketball Game Preview: North Mac Panthers vs. Nokomis Redskins

North Mac is 2-7 against Nokomis since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The North Mac Panthers will be playing at home against the Nokomis Redskins at 6:00 p.m.

North Mac is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Tuesday. They came up short against Staunton, falling 53-32. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 427th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 112th).

Meanwhile, Nokomis came tearing into Monday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past the Vipers with points to spare, taking the game 45-29.

North Mac better focus on containing Natalie Brownback and Alivia Sabol as the pair were huge in Nokomis' win. Brownback posted 16 points, while Sabol dropped a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. Sabol is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as she's posted one of at least 45% in the last four games she's played. Kinley Stolte was another key player, putting up six points and six rebounds.

Nokomis' victory bumped their record up to 25-5. As for North Mac, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-18.

North Mac came up short against Nokomis when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 63-51. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Stolte, who dropped a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards. Now that North Mac knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.