Basketball Recap: Make It Five in a Row for Northwestern

Bulls

Previous 5 Games

01/16/25 @ Central	73-57
01/14/25 vs Booker T. Washington	115-13
01/13/25 @ Chaminade-Madonna	78-65
01/11/25 @ Dillard	68-28
01/07/25 vs Monsignor Pace	76-26

Northwestern waltzed into their game on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They enjoyed a cozy 73-57 victory over the Central Rockets. The Bulls have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Rockets, too.

Northwestern's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Calvin Russell Jr., who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 boards. Russell Jr. is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last six games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jamiro Smith, who went 5 for 11 en route to 12 points and five rebounds.

Northwestern was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Central only posted six assists.

Central lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Keri Foster, who went 6 of 14 on his way to 15 points along with five assists and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Marlon Gaitan, who shot 4-for-7 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards.

Northwestern is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.7 points per game. As for Central, they moved to 12-3 with that loss, which also ended their 11-game winning streak.

Northwestern and Central should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings. Northwestern (ranked 21st) will meet Archbishop McCarthy (ranked 173rd) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Northwestern is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 76.9 points per game this season. Similarly, Central will take on Everglades at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday up 159 places (33 vs. 192).