The Nokomis Redskins will face off against the Jersey Panthers at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Nokomis will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Nokomis picked up another tournament win on Saturday. They enjoyed a cozy 57-38 victory over Granite City. Given the Redskins' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 151st, while the Warriors are ranked 438th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Nokomis to victory, but perhaps none more so than Natalie Brownback, who went 6 of 15 on her way to 16 points and four steals. Another player making a difference was Kinley Stolte, who posted ten points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Jersey faced off against Greenfield/Northwestern on Saturday. Jersey blew past Greenfield/Northwestern 48-25. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 21 points or more this season.
Jersey's win came from a few key players Nokomis will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Meredith Gray, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 boards. Cali Breden was another key player, putting up nine points and five rebounds.
Jersey was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Nokomis is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 20-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points per game. As for Jersey, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Nokomis has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Jersey struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Nokomis lost to Jersey on the road by a decisive 64-47 margin in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Can Nokomis avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
