Preview: North Central Eagles vs. Stryker Panthers
The North Central Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Stryker Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. North Central has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
North Central fought the good fight in their overtime match against Ottawa Hills on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Green Bears 75-69. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for North Central in their matchups with Ottawa Hills: they've now lost five in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Joe Burt, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. Another player making a difference was Johnny Hicks, who scored 12 points.
Even though they lost, North Central were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Stryker's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight defeat. They took a 59-55 hit to the loss column at the hands of Ayersville. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
North Central has been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 11 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season. As for Stryker, their loss dropped their record down to 9-11.
North Central came up short against Stryker when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 52-40. Can North Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
