Basketball Recap: North Central Takes a Loss

North Central fought the good fight in their overtime contest against St. Mary on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 56-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of the St. Mary's Cardinals. The Knights haven't had much luck with the Cardinals recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Despite the defeat, North Central saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Mya Lewis dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Those 11 boards set a new season-high mark for Lewis. Another player making a difference was Kit Painter, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine boards.

St. Mary's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gracie Williamson, who posted 11 points in addition to seven boards and six steals. Williamson has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Emerson Mlnarik, who had nine points along with seven blocks and five boards.

North Central's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-4. As for St. Mary's, the win keeps them at an undefeated 6-0.

North Central didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 43-29 victory against Gregory on the 21st. As for St. Mary's, they will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Elgin/Pope John at 7:00 p.m. on January 9, 2025.