North Central has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Neligh-Oakdale Warriors at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. North Central will be strutting in after a win while Neligh-Oakdale will be coming in after a defeat.
On Thursday, North Central earned a 50-41 win over Creighton.
North Central found their leader in underclassman Mya Lewis, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 16 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lewis has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Morgan Lewis, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Neligh-Oakdale's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They had to suffer through a rough 64-37 loss at the hands of West Holt. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Neligh-Oakdale has suffered against West Holt since January 27, 2018.
Despite the defeat, Neligh-Oakdale got a solid performance out of Hailey Horstmann, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of McKenna Boggs, who scored 12 points.
North Central's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-6. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.7 points per game. As for Neligh-Oakdale, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-12 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: North Central have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Neligh-Oakdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for North Central against Neligh-Oakdale in their previous matchup back in January of 2022 as the squad secured a 53-10 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for North Central since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
