The Northeastern Knights will head out to challenge the Shenandoah Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated after five-games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
If Northeastern beats Shenandoah with 51 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Northeastern enjoyed a cozy 51-35 victory over Eastern Hancock on Friday. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Royals are ranked 164th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/13/24 vs Eastern Hancock | 6 |
| 03/02/24 vs Union County | 5 |
| 12/08/23 @ Eastern Hancock | 4 |
| 12/15/23 vs Shenandoah | 4 |
| 01/06/24 @ Centerville | 4 |
Northeastern got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Sam White out in front who went 5 of 8 on his way to 12 points in addition to six blocks and five boards. The dominant performance gave White a new career-high in blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Payne, who posted 11 points along with five boards and four steals.
Meanwhile, Shenandoah earned a 62-49 victory over Tri on Friday.
Shenandoah's win came from a few key players Northeastern will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Garrett May, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine blocks. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.6 blocks per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Cannon Case, who went 6 of 7 on his way to 14 points and seven rebounds.
Shenandoah smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive contests.
Northeastern pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Shenandoah, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Northeastern has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Shenandoah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Northeastern strolled past Shenandoah in their previous matchup back in March by a score of 46-32. Does Northeastern have another victory up their sleeve, or will Shenandoah turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
