The Northridge Academy Pumas will venture away from home to face off against the West Adams Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Northridge Academy sitting on three straight wins and West Adams on five.
Northridge Academy is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Vaughn: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Northridge Academy blew Vaughn out of the water with a 61-17 final score. The Pumas have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Janelle Estrella
| 02/06/25 @ Vaughn | 10 |
| 02/03/25 @ East Valley | 3 |
| 01/30/25 vs Sherman Oaks CES | 10 |
| 01/27/25 @ Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences | 8 |
| 01/25/25 @ Sherman Oaks CES | 4 |
| + 2 more games |
Northridge Academy's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Janelle Estrella, who dropped a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and ten steals, and Haylin Hernandez, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and ten boards. Estrella has been hot, having posted three or more steals the last seven times she's played. Another player making a difference was Jennalyn Gerona, who posted eight points along with ten rebounds and six assists.
Northridge Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 42 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and West Adams had no trouble coming through when it counted. They simply couldn't be stopped on Wednesday as they easily beat Larchmont Charter 59-29. 59 seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
West Adams' win came from a few key players Northridge Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zolah Mcdonald, who put up 17 points. Ashley Lopez-Merida was another key player, putting up 14 points.
Northridge Academy's win was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 21.5 points over those games. As for West Adams, their record now sits at 10-7.
Northridge Academy and West Adams were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in February of 2020, but Northridge Academy came up empty-handed after a 50-49 defeat. Can Northridge Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
