Preview: Elyria Catholic Panthers vs. North Olmsted Eagles
Elyria Catholic is 4-0 against North Olmsted since December of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Elyria Catholic Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the North Olmsted Eagles at 12:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, Elyria Catholic didn't have too much trouble with Rocky River at home as they won 57-43. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Elyria Catholic.
Nevaeh Sawyer and Isabelle Niederst were among the main playmakers for Elyria Catholic as the former scored 15 points and the latter dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Sawyer scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Rivera, who scored three points.
Even though North Olmsted has not done well against Bay recently (they were 0-7 in their previous seven matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. North Olmsted slipped by Bay 31-30. The win was nothing new for North Olmsted as they're now sitting on three straight.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Olmsted to victory, but perhaps none more so than Mia Donald, who scored six points along with seven rebounds. Donald has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last four times she's played. Katie Strong was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Elyria Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. As for North Olmsted, they pushed their record up to 6-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Elyria Catholic have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31 rebounds per game. It's a different story for North Olmsted, though, as they've been averaging only 40 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Elyria Catholic against North Olmsted when the teams last played back in January as the team secured a 67-31 win. Does Elyria Catholic have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Olmsted turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
