Basketball Game Preview: North Newton Spartans vs. Rossville Hornets

The North Newton Spartans will be taking part in a tournament against the Rossville Hornets at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. North Newton is looking for their season's first win.

North Newton is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Carroll on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. North Newton was dealt a 61-27 defeat at the hands of Carroll. The Spartans were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 43-16.

Despite the loss, North Newton had strong showings from Nicholas Bartrom, who posted six points, and Gage Mark, who earned four points.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Rossville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They strolled past Lafayette Central Catholic with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 69-50. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Hornets as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Rossville's win came from a few key players North Newton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brody Skinner, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in steals (four). Another player making a difference was Brayden Thiele-Hahn, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine rebounds.

North Newton's defeat dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Rossville, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Newton has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 21 boards per game. However, it's not like Rossville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

North Newton took a serious blow against Rossville in their previous matchup back in December of 2018, falling 78-45. Can North Newton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.