North Park is 8-2 against West Grand since December of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The North Park Wildcats will look to defend their home court against the West Grand Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: North Park has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while West Grand will arrive with six straight victories.
Last Saturday, North Park opened the new year with a less-than-successful 46-35 defeat to Plateau Valley. North Park has struggled against Plateau Valley recently, as their match last Saturday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Dezirae Gonzales put forth a good effort for the losing side as she dropped a double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds. That was a full 60% of North Park's points, marking the seventh time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Jenna Sessions, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, North Park smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, West Grand didn't have too much breathing room in their game against De Beque on Friday, but they still walked away with a 41-36 win.
West Grand got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Sage Wheatley out in front who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Wheatley has scored at least a third of West Grand's points. Sara Lechman was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds and three blocks.
North Park's defeat dropped their record down to 1-6. As for West Grand, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-2.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's contest: North Park have been dynamite from deep this season, having only nailed 33.1% of their threes per game. It's a different story for West Grand, though, as they've only made 32.5% of their threes per game this season. Given North Park's sizeable advantage in that area, West Grand will need to find a way to close that gap.
North Park came out on top in a nail-biter against West Grand when the teams last played back in February of 2023, sneaking past 45-42. Does North Park have another victory up their sleeve, or will West Grand turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
