The Foard Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the North Lincoln Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Foard is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.2 points per game this season.
Foard is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering East Lincoln just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Mustangs by a score of 52-49. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Tigers have suffered since February 9, 2024.
Despite their defeat, Foard saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Macie Penland, who went 5 for 8 on her way to 12 points and seven rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Jessica Bailey, who posted 13 points.
Meanwhile, North Lincoln entered their tilt with St. Stephens on Thursday with 11 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 12. They blew past the Indians 70-16. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 26 points or more this season.
Foard better keep an eye on Ally Smith. She was instrumental in North Lincoln's win, going 10 of 15 on her way to 24 points in addition to seven steals and six assists. The contest was Smith's 11th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashlyn Black, who went 6 for 8 on her way to 15 points.
North Lincoln smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in ten consecutive matches.
North Lincoln pushed their record up to 12-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.8 points per game. As for Foard, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 8-6.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Foard and North Lincoln are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Foard hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 57.2 points per game. However, it's not like North Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging 66.6 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Foard couldn't quite finish off North Lincoln in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 47-44. Can Foard avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
