Basketball Recap: North Central's Win on Thursday Extends Winning Streak to Three

Knights

Previous 3 Games

01/23/25 @ Ainsworth	48-36
01/21/25 @ Niobrara/Verdigre	48-32
01/17/25 vs Twin Loup	50-32

North Central won against Niobrara/Verdigre last Tuesday with 48 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Thursday. The North Central Knights came out on top against the Ainsworth Bulldogs by a score of 48-36. Winning may never get old, but the Knights sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Karlene Kepler, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Kepler is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Lewis, who posted 13 points along with six assists and five boards.

North Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive rebounds in six consecutive games.

Despite the loss, Ainsworth saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Gracyn Painter dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Willa Flynn was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and nine boards.

North Central has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-7 record this season. As for Ainsworth, they have also been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-11 record this season.

North Central didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 56-48 defeat against Anselmo-Merna on the 24th. As for Ainsworth, they will challenge Hyannis at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hyannis has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.