Even though the Indianapolis Lutheran Saints scored an imposing 64 points on Tuesday, the North Central Panthers still came out on top. North Central enjoyed a cozy 78-64 win over Indianapolis Lutheran. Given North Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while Indianapolis Lutheran is ranked 117th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
North Central's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nijah Jewell led the charge by scoring 17 points along with six assists and five steals. That's the first time this season that Jewell scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Papi Rivera, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Indianapolis Lutheran's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lj Ward, who scored 26 points along with four steals. Ward hasn't dropped below 15points for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Cayden Loescher, who scored 17 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
North Central has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for Indianapolis Lutheran, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 7-3.
North Central won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Park Tudor at 6:30 p.m. on January 10th. One thing working in Park Tudor's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season. As for Indianapolis Lutheran, their homestand continues as they prepare to take on Indianapolis Scecina Memorial at 7:30 p.m. on January 12th. Indianapolis Scecina Memorial is hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses.
