The North Central Panthers will challenge the Ben Davis Giants at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
North Central is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest defeat since December 21, 2023 last Saturday. They lost 78-55 to Avon. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 151st, while the Orioles are ranked 28th).
Meanwhile, Ben Davis had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 31.8 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They put the hurt on the Red Devils with a sharp 57-36 victory. The Giants have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 21 points or more this season.
North Central better focus on containing Shania Curry and Aleia Sultzer as the pair were huge in Ben Davis' win. Curry went 5 of 12 on her way to 20 points in addition to eight boards and three steals, while Sultzer dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds. Those 18 points gave Sultzer a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubri Ingram, who posted 12 points along with five boards and three steals.
Ben Davis smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 28 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
North Central's loss dropped their record down to 2-11. As for Ben Davis, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-8.
North Central opened the new year with a less-than-successful 57-45 defeat to Ben Davis. Thankfully for North Central, Zoe Wheeler (who went 7 of 13 on her way to 18 points and seven rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
