The Northridge Raiders will take on the NorthWood Panthers at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are out to turn their luck around after having lost tight contests in their previous games.
Northridge is headed into Saturday's contest hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight losses. They were two points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 31-29 heartbreaker at the hands of Penn. The game marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Northridge's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Lily Scholl, who went 7 for 10 on her way to 15 points, and Ella Mohamed, who posted eight points and five boards. That was a full 51.7% of Northridge's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Even though they lost, Northridge was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Penn only racked up one assist.
Meanwhile, NorthWood fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Bremen on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Lions by a score of 51-48. The Panthers' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Northridge will have to contain Claire Payne as she made an impact in NorthWood's last game. She dropped a double-double on 14 points and 17 rebounds. Payne has been hot, having posted nine or more boards the last six times she's played. Ella Branham was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds.
Northridge's defeat dropped their record down to 16-4. As for NorthWood, their loss ended an eight-game streak of away wins and brought them to 15-4.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Northridge just can't miss this season, having drained 47.2% of their shots per game. It's a different story for NorthWood, though, as they've only made 34.8% of their field goals this season. Given Northridge's sizable advantage in that area, NorthWood will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Northridge against NorthWood when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 72-36 victory. In that match, Northridge amassed a halftime lead of 34-12, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Saturday.
