The NorthWood Panthers typically have all the answers at home, but on Saturday the Wawasee Warriors proved too difficult a challenge. They pulled ahead with a 41-40 photo finish over the Panthers. For Wawasee, this counts as revenge for the 50-42 defeat NorthWood walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January of 2023.
Wawasee's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Mackenzie Hackleman, who scored 14 points along with six steals and five rebounds. Hackleman continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Kaydence Shepherd was another key contributor, scoring five points along with four steals.
When it comes to explaining why NorthWood lost, one person who can't be blamed is Claire Payne. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 13 points and 17 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ella Branham, who scored seven points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, NorthWood were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wawasee only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.
Wawasee's win bumped their record up to 12-5. As for NorthWood, their defeat dropped their record down to 16-4.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Wawasee will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Columbia City at 7:30 p.m. on January 9th. Columbia City is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games. As for NorthWood, they will head out on the road to face off against Northridge at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. Hopefully Northridge focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Saturday.
