North Star hasn't had much luck against Berlin Brothersvalley recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The North Star Cougars will look to defend their home court against the Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers at 7:15 p.m. One thing working in North Star's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four matches.
North Star is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Rockwood: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that North Star blew Rockwood out of the water with a 69-13 final score. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 28 points or more this season.
| 01/10/25 @ Rockwood | 20 |
| 01/08/25 @ Meyersdale | 24 |
| 01/03/25 @ Shanksville Stonycreek | 15 |
| 12/28/24 vs United | 30 |
North Star had a senior duo take command as Ethan Smith went 9 for 14 on his way to 20 points in addition to eight boards and five steals and Andy Retassie dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. The match was Smith's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Maurer, who posted eight points and three steals.
North Star smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Berlin Brothersvalley played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Windber, falling 58-37. The Mountaineers were down 41-18 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
North Star will need focus on slowing down Joseph Richardson, one of several Berlin Brothersvalley players who made an impact when they last played. He put up four points and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was McKelvey Foor, who posted 11 points and five boards.
North Star's win was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-3. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 30.3 points. As for Berlin Brothersvalley, their loss dropped their record down to 4-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Star has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Berlin Brothersvalley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Star didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Berlin Brothersvalley in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 54-49 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Foor, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 19 points. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will North Star still be able to contain Foor? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
