Basketball Game Preview: Lakewood Lancers vs. Northridge Vikings

Lakewood and Northridge are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Lakewood Lancers will be playing at home against the Northridge Vikings at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday.

Last Wednesday, Lakewood came up short against Johnstown-Monroe and fell 52-40. The Lancers haven't had much luck with the Johnnies recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Northridge, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They had just enough and edged Heath out 52-50. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Northridge's win came from a few key players Lakewood will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ava Travis, who posted 19 points in addition to six assists and six boards. Her evening made it seven games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Ruby Cermak was another key player, going 5 of 10 en route to 14 points along with five rebounds and three steals.

The win got Northridge back to even at 7-7. As for Lakewood, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11.

Lakewood might still be hurting after the 54-30 loss they got from Northridge when the teams last played back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Travis, who had 20 points in addition to six steals and five boards. Now that Lakewood knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.