The North Central Knights's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their third straight loss. They had to suffer through a rough 66-38 loss at the hands of O'Neill. North Central was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-18.
Despite the loss, North Central still got an impressive performance from Jackson Hallock, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Hallock scored a full 44.7% of North Central's points, the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kol Otten, who scored ten points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead O'Neill to victory, but perhaps none more so than Turner Heiss, who scored 19 points. That's the first time this season that Heiss scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Morrow, who scored 15 points along with six assists and five rebounds.
North Central has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season. As for O'Neill, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. North Central won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against St. Paul at 3:30 p.m. on December 29, 2023. O'Neill won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Beatrice at 12:30 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Beatrice is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
