The North Central Thunderbirds will head out on the road to square off against the Sullivan Golden Arrows at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Thursday, North Central took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 75-23 win over the Cardinals. That looming 75-23 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for North Central yet this season.
North Central's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hayden Schultz led the charge by scoring 14 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Schultz has scored all season. Jace Hooper was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Meanwhile, Sullivan entered their tilt with the Patriots with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. Sullivan walked away with a 55-46 win over the Patriots on Thursday. Given Sullivan's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 89th, while the Patriots are ranked 346th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
North Central pushed their record up to 10-8 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.5 points per game. As for Sullivan, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season.
North Central barely slipped by the Golden Arrows in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, winning 52-51. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Sullivan's Eli Gettinger, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for North Central to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
