North is on a seven-game streak of home losses, Buchtel a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck will change on Thursday. The North Vikings will host the Buchtel Griffins at 4:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
On Monday, North was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 61-57 to Garfield Heights.
Despite the defeat, North had strong showings from Ce'Airah Underwood, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 boards, and Armonie Lewis, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 20 rebounds. That was a full 50.9% of North's points, marking the 11th time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Serenity Noel was another key player, putting up six points and 12 boards.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 49-10, which was the final score in Buchtel's tilt against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy on Monday. While losing is never fun, the Griffins can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 607th, while the Royals are ranked 69th).
North will have to keep a close watch on Shaylah Jones and Phoenix Hafford, a pair of players who had a big impact on Buchtel's prior game. Jones had four points and seven rebounds, while Hafford earned four points. That was a full 40% of Buchtel's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.
Buchtel's loss dropped their record down to 4-14. As for North, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-18.
North took a serious blow against Buchtel in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 65-36. Will North have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
