Preview: Lake Norman Wildcats vs. Charlotte Catholic Cougars
Lake Norman is on a 32-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Charlotte Catholic is on a 11-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Lake Norman Wildcats will take on the Charlotte Catholic Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Lake Norman walked away with it. They walked away with a 50-38 win over the Cougars on Tuesday.
Lake Norman relied on the efforts of Alexis Shehan, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Samantha Shehan, who scored 19 points. Shehan is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. Kelsey Rhyne was another key contributor, scoring seven points.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Marvin Ridge on Tuesday, taking the game 52-40. Given Charlotte Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while Marvin Ridge is ranked 30th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Blanca Thomas was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 27 points and 11 rebounds. She hasn't dropped below 16 points for seven straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Fava, who scored nine points along with five assists and four steals.
Lake Norman has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 18 of their last 19 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 26-2 record this season. As for Charlotte Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 25-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lake Norman have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Charlotte Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lake Norman didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Charlotte Catholic when the teams last played back in March of 2023, but they still walked away with a 60-54 win. Does Lake Norman have another victory up their sleeve, or will Charlotte Catholic turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
