Basketball Game Preview: North Central Knights vs. Pender Pendragons

The North Central Knights will venture away from home to square off against the Pender Pendragons at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.

On Thursday, North Central needed a bit of extra time to put away Neligh-Oakdale. They blew past the Warriors 48-25. The win almost wasn't to be: the Knights were down 25-0 in the fourth quarter.

North Central's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Karlene Kepler, who posted 13 points and seven boards. Mya Lewis was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.

North Central was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. They are 14-6 when they've passed the ball that well.

Meanwhile, Pender came tearing into Thursday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.3 points), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Jaguars with a sharp 69-44 victory. The Pendragons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 18 contests by 22 points or more this season.

North Central better keep an eye on Maya Dolliver. She was instrumental in Pender's win, going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc on her way to 25 points along with seven boards and five assists. What's more, Dolliver also posted a 75% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest she's achieved since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Hadley Walsh, who went 7-for-10 en route to 16 points and five rebounds.

Pender's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.0 points over those games. As for North Central, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-11 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Central has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Pender struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.