Preview: Kelliher/Northome Mustangs vs. Laporte Wildcats
Kelliher/Northome is 10-0 against Laporte since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Kelliher/Northome Mustangs will head out on the road to square off against the Laporte Wildcats at 7:15 p.m. One thing working in Kelliher/Northome's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season.
Kelliher/Northome put the finishing touches on their 14th blowout victory of the season on Friday. They blew past Littlefork-Big Falls 84-12 at home. Given Kelliher/Northome's advantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 95th, while Littlefork-Big Falls is ranked 403rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kelliher/Northome's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kate Thayer led the charge by dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten steals. Thayer is crushing the point category: she's posted at least 15 every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Thayer, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Laporte's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They fell 51-38 to Bagley.
Kelliher/Northome's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-3. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 66 points. As for Laporte, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 18 of their last 19 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-26 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Kelliher/Northome against Laporte in their previous matchup back in January as the team secured a 101-24 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Kelliher/Northome since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
