Basketball Game Preview: North Rangers vs. Chardon Hilltoppers

North and Chardon are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. The North Rangers will venture away from home to take on the Chardon Hilltoppers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

North is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Kenston just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Saturday. They lost 53-30 to the Bombers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Rangers have suffered since January 31, 2024.

Despite the loss, North got top-tier performance from Kaitlin Dobida, who posted 19 points in addition to five boards and five blocks. That was a full 63.3% of North's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gillian Forwick, who earned six points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Chardon on Saturday. They blew past South 57-31. The Hilltoppers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 22 points or more this season.

Chardon has also been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points per game. As for North, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.

North came up short against Chardon in their previous meeting on January 8th, falling 43-35. Can North avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.