Basketball Game Preview: Northome/Kelliher Mustangs vs. Cass Lake-Bena Panthers

The Northome/Kelliher Mustangs will face off against the Cass Lake-Bena Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Northome/Kelliher knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Cass Lake-Bena likes a good challenge.

On Monday, Northome/Kelliher was fully in charge, breezing past Warroad 87-38. The win continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won nine in a row.

Northome/Kelliher had a senior duo take command as Kylee Binkley shot 71% from the field en route to 28 points along with seven boards and five assists and Kate Thayer dropped a double-double with 27 points and ten steals. The game was Binkley's 18th in a row with at least 17 points. Another player making a difference was Allison Lundin, who posted 11 points and three steals.

Northome/Kelliher smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.

Meanwhile, Cass Lake-Bena unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-court advantage in their season opener. They lost to Mountain Iron-Buhl at home by a 59-41 margin on Saturday. The Panthers have struggled against the Rangers recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.

Northome/Kelliher's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Cass Lake-Bena, their loss dropped their record down to 0-1.

Northome/Kelliher strolled past Cass Lake-Bena when the teams last played back in January by a score of 94-77. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.