The Northfield Norsemen are taking a road trip to challenge the Rochester Zebras at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Northfield will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
On Tuesday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Northfield beat Peru 51-47.
Northfield's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Teagan Baer, who posted seven points and ten boards. Another player making a difference was Elli Baker, who went 5 of 9 on her way to 12 points and seven rebounds.
Northfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive boards in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rochester). They breezed by Taylor to the tune of 58-29 on Monday. Given the Zebras' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 110th, while the Titans are ranked 355th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rochester's win came from a few key players Northfield will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Rylee Clevenger, who went 8 for 14 en route to 21 points and five steals. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in steals. Aubrey Wilson was another key player, putting up 13 points and seven steals.
Northfield is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 13-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.1 points per game. As for Rochester, their record now sits at 15-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Northfield has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Rochester struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Northfield was able to grind out a solid victory over Rochester in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 46-33. The rematch might be a little tougher for Northfield since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
