The NorthWood Panthers waltzed into their match Friday with eight straight wins but they left with nine. They strolled past South Bend Adams with points to spare, taking the game 56-40. Given NorthWood's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 43rd, while South Bend Adams is ranked 189th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading NorthWood to victory were Joselyn Edwards and Claire Payne. Edwards scored 20 points along with seven rebounds, while Payne dropped a double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds. Those seven rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Haylee Heflin, who scored ten points.
NorthWood's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-2. As for South Bend Adams, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-7.
NorthWood will finish 2023 at home by hosting Merrillville at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. South Bend Adams is on the road again on Thursday and play against Portage at 10:00 a.m. on December 28th.
