Preview: Northwestern Bulls vs. Norland Vikings
Northwestern is 1-9 against Norland since January of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Northwestern Bulls will head out on the road to face off against the Norland Vikings at 6:00 p.m. Northwestern is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
Northwestern put the finishing touches on their eighth blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They blew past Lourdes Academy 45-24. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Northwestern has posted since December 13, 2023.
Northwestern's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Janyiah Mickens, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Mickens is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Sophonie Felix was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Norland came up short against Sports Leadership & Management on Tuesday and fell 49-36. While losing is never fun, Norland can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 183rd, while Sports Leadership & Management is ranked ninth).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Myah Newton, who scored seven points along with 20 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jasmine Johnson, who scored 11 points.
Northwestern is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for Norland, their loss dropped their record down to 6-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Northwestern have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Norland, though, as they've been averaging only 25.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northwestern was dealt a bruising 46-18 defeat at the hands of Norland in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. Can Northwestern avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
