Preview: Eisenhower Knights vs. Northwestern Wildcats
Eisenhower is 0-3 against Northwestern since December of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Eisenhower Knights will look to defend their home court against the Northwestern Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. Eisenhower will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 341st, while Northwestern is ranked 134th).
Eisenhower unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Monday. They were outmatched by Mercyhurst Prep at home and fell 70-36. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Eisenhower has suffered yet this season.
Despite the loss, Eisenhower saw an underclassman step up: Clara Steinberg scored 28 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. That was a full 77.8% of Eisenhower's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
In what's become a running theme this season, Northwestern gave their fans yet another huge victory on Thursday. They breezed by North East at home to the tune of 50-22. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Northwestern has posted against North East since February 10, 2020.
Northwestern found their leader in underclassman Makayla Presser-Palmer, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which Presser-Palmer has scored at least a third of Northwestern's points. Taylor Stagl was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Eisenhower's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Northwestern, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Eisenhower have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Northwestern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Eisenhower suffered a grim 57-35 defeat to Northwestern in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Presser-Palmer, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds. Now that Eisenhower knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
