Evansville North is 9-1 against the Panthers since November of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Evansville North Huskies will face off against the Evansville Reitz Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Evansville North is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses.
With a playoff game on the line, Evansville North rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Warriors 58-29 on the road. Evansville North has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 22 points or more this season.
Vanessa Nankwenya continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 12 points along with seven steals and five assists. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Libby Blythe, who scored 14 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Evansville Reitz's good fortune finally ran out last Thursday. They received a tough blow as they fell 57-42 to Evansville Memorial.
The losing side was boosted by Kaelyse Mitchell, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds. She hasn't dropped below two blocks for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Bailey Hape, who scored ten points.
Evansville North's victory bumped their record up to 14-10. As for Evansville Reitz, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Evansville North have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Evansville Reitz struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Evansville North came up short against the Panthers when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 54-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Evansville Reitz's Norah Miller, who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds and six steals. Now that Evansville North knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
