Preview: Northeast Vikings vs. Frankford Pioneers
Northeast has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Frankford Pioneers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Northeast has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 882 points over their last 13 contests.
Even though Paul Robeson scored an imposing 55 points on Thursday, Northeast still came out on top. Northeast enjoyed a cozy 69-55 win over Paul Robeson. Given Northeast's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 94th, while Paul Robeson is ranked 490th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Darrius Gaeta continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 12 points along with nine rebounds and eight assists. Another player making a difference was Michael Freeman, who scored ten points along with seven assists.
Meanwhile, Frankford came up short against Academy at Palumbo on Thursday and fell 56-49.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Zaire Washington, who scored 11 points along with nine rebounds. Brandon Gage was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Northeast pushed their record up to 14-1 with that win, which was their eighth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.4 points per game. As for Frankford, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Northeast have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Frankford, though, as they've been averaging only 29.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northeast might still be hurting after the 59-35 loss they got from Frankford in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. Can Northeast avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
