The Norton Bluejays will challenge the Phillipsburg Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Norton will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up 29 points two weeks ago, then bounced right back against Oakley on Tuesday. Norton enjoyed a cozy 63-44 victory over Oakley. That looming 63-44 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Bluejays yet this season.
| 01/14/25 @ Oakley | 15 |
| 12/12/24 vs McCook | 13 |
| 12/17/24 @ Southern Valley | 12 |
| 02/05/24 vs Oakley | 9 |
| 02/29/24 @ Lakin | 9 |
Eli Jones was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 15 boards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rebounds. Rylen Murray was another key player, putting up 14 points.
Norton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Phillipsburg, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They came out on top against Trego by a score of 53-45 on Tuesday.
Norton has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points per game. As for Phillipsburg, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.
Norton couldn't quite finish off Phillipsburg in their previous matchup back in January of 2024 and fell 54-52. Thankfully for Norton, Rhett Shelton (who went 8 for 11 on his way to 23 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
