Basketball Game Preview: Great Hearts Northern Oaks Griffins vs. Marion Bulldogs

Great Hearts Northern Oaks hasn't had much luck against Marion recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Great Hearts Northern Oaks Griffins will challenge the Marion Bulldogs at 6:15 p.m. Great Hearts Northern Oaks will be strutting in after a victory while Marion will be coming in after a defeat.

Great Hearts Northern Oaks got their first taste of in-conference action this week and they started things off strong. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Young Women's Leadership Academy on Tuesday, sneaking past 45-43.

Great Hearts Northern Oaks' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Elizabeth Paulos, who posted 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of DeLaney Paulos, who scored 16 points.

Meanwhile, Marion ended up a good deal behind Randolph on Tuesday and lost 52-34. The Bulldogs have struggled against the Ro-Hawks recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Great Hearts Northern Oaks' victory bumped their record up to 5-10. As for Marion, their loss dropped their record down to 5-19.

Great Hearts Northern Oaks might still be hurting after the 57-36 defeat they got from Marion in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Marion's Whitley Wiatrek, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 23 points and four steals. Now that Great Hearts Northern Oaks knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.