The Fort Wayne Northrop Bruins will square off against the Fort Wayne North Side Legends at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Fort Wayne Northrop will head into Friday's contest out to bounce back: they won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Friday. They lost 75-49 to Fort Wayne Snider. The Bruins were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-13.
Despite the loss, Fort Wayne Northrop got top-tier performance from Donlaray Reese, who went 7 of 15 on his way to 17 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Marshawn Warfield, who posted seven points and three steals.
Meanwhile, Fort Wayne North Side played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Fort Wayne Wayne and fell 79-42. While losing is never fun, the Legends can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 165th, while the Generals are ranked 38th).
Despite the defeat, Fort Wayne North Side saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Max Goheen had 15 points. Those 15 points gave Goheen a new career-high.
Fort Wayne North Side has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season. As for Fort Wayne Northrop, their loss dropped their record down to 5-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fort Wayne Northrop has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fort Wayne North Side struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Fort Wayne Northrop came up short against Fort Wayne North Side when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 71-60. Can Fort Wayne Northrop avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
