After both having extra time off, the North Vermillion Falcons and the Riverton Parke Panthers will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Vermillion will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
North Vermillion saw some tournament action last Saturday. They managed a 41-36 win over Oakwood. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 165th in Indiana, while the Comets are ranked 570th in Illinois), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Vermillion to victory, but perhaps none more so than Nora Thomann, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 boards. Kera Dunham was another key player, putting up nine points.
Meanwhile, Riverton Parke didn't have too much trouble with Mooresville Christian last Saturday as they won 46-29. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
North Vermillion better keep an eye on Haylee Mathas. She was instrumental in Riverton Parke's win, going 7 of 9 on her way to 17 points and four steals. With that strong performance, Mathas is now averaging an impressive 15.2 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Kenzie Nowicki, who posted eight points along with six rebounds and five blocks.
Riverton Parke was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mooresville Christian only posted six assists.
North Vermillion has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for Riverton Parke, their victory bumped their record up to 9-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Vermillion has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Riverton Parke struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Vermillion strolled past Riverton Parke in their previous meeting back in November of 2024 by a score of 50-31. Does North Vermillion have another victory up their sleeve, or will Riverton Parke turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
