Northridge is 0-10 against Newark Catholic since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Northridge Vikings will look to defend their home court against the Newark Catholic Green Wave at 7:15 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Northridge can finally bid farewell to their four-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, they made off with a 36-35 win over Watkins Memorial.
Northridge found their leader in underclassman Ava Travis, who scored 25 points along with 7 steals. That makes it six consecutive games in which Travis has scored at least 25% of Northridge's points. Another player making a difference was Ruby Cermak, who dropped a double-double on 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Newark Catholic entered their tilt with Licking Valley with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Newark Catholic took down Licking Valley 49-34 on Friday. Given Newark Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while Licking Valley is ranked 439th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Newark Catholic to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kylie Gibson, who scored 14 points along with 5 rebounds and 5 steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Gibson has scored at least 25% of Newark Catholic's points. Sophie Chard peloquin was another key contributor, scoring 10 points along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Northridge's victory bumped their record up to 2-4. As for Newark Catholic, they pushed their record up to 3-0 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Northridge ended up a good deal behind Newark Catholic in their previous meeting back in January, losing 56-38. Can Northridge avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
