After seven games on the road, Northwestern is heading back home. The Northwestern Bulls and Lourdes Academy will face off at 5:00 p.m. on January 17th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Northwestern scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They claimed a resounding 67-40 victory over North Miami on the road. Northwestern has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 24 points or more this season.
Northwestern got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Sophonie Felix out in front who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Felix is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. Jahyra Charles was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.
Meanwhile, Lourdes Academy came tearing into last Tuesday's match with ten straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29.1 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 60-50 win over North Miami. Given Lourdes Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while North Miami is ranked 328th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lourdes Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sophia Sandoval, who scored 30 points along with nine steals. Another player making a difference was Luciana Picasso, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds.
Northwestern has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-5 record this season. As for Lourdes Academy, they pushed their record up to 13-1 with that win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Wednesday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Northwestern have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 48.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Lourdes Academy struggles in that department as they've nailed 45.4% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northwestern suffered a grim 48-28 defeat to Lourdes Academy in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Picasso, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 19 rebounds. Now that Northwestern knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
