The Northeastern Knights and the Sheridan Blackhawks will face off at 4:00 p.m. on February 10th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Northeastern is looking to tack on another W to their nine-game streak on the road.
With a playoff game on the line, Northeastern rose to the challenge on Saturday. They blew past the Raiders 58-21 on the road. Northeastern has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 contests by 22 points or more this season.
Northeastern got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Addisen Mastriano out in front who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Mastriano hasn't dropped below ten rebounds for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Adysson Kircher, who scored 20 points.
Meanwhile, Sheridan came tearing into Saturday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took down Covenant Christian 47-28. Given Sheridan's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 116th, while Covenant Christian is ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Kenzie Garner, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 15 rebounds. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Cecilia Timme, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Northeastern has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season. As for Sheridan, their victory bumped their record up to 19-5.
Saturday's matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Northeastern have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sheridan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
