Basketball Recap: North Port Finds Playoff Glory Versus Lehigh

Bobcats

Margin (Wins)

11/22/24 @ Cypress Lake	48
12/16/24 @ Southeast	37
12/07/24 @ Key West	34
01/27/25 vs Cypress Lake	28
12/02/24 vs Palmetto	25

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only North Port walked away with it. They were the clear victor by a 50-28 margin over the Lehigh Lightning on Tuesday. The Bobcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 22 points or more this season.

It was another big night for Rhiley Richards, who went 8 of 16 to rack up 19 points and five steals. She has become a key player for North Port: the team is undefeated when she posts at least five steals, but 8-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Gisele Novielli, who posted eight points and three steals.

North Port smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. They pulled down seven more offensive rebounds than Lehigh's also-impressive total of ten.

Despite the loss, Lehigh still got an impressive performance from Benhova Agustin, who had eight points along with 13 boards and five blocks. Those five blocks gave Agustin a new career-high. Terryah Lawson was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

North Port has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 13-11 record this season. As for Lehigh, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 6-15 record this season.

North Port wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 57-22 loss against Venice on the 6th. Lehigh does not have any more games scheduled as of now.