North Central has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Warren Central Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully North Central focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 25 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, North Central came up short against Lawrence Central and fell 45-38. While losing is never fun, North Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 97th, while Lawrence Central is ranked first).
Kaiden Kreinhagen put forth a good effort for the losing side as she scored 12 points along with two steals. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Hoff, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds.
Warren Central suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Saturday. They were beaten by Jennings County 70-35. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Warren Central has scored all season.
Despite their loss, Warren Central saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Denyha Jacobs, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and six steals, was perhaps the best of all. Jacobs hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. Denell Jacobs was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six rebounds and six steals.
Warren Central struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
North Central has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-15 record this season. As for Warren Central, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 11-9.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: North Central have been dynamite from deep this season, having only drained 32.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Warren Central struggles in that department as they've drained 39.2% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went North Central's way against Warren Central in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as North Central made off with a 68-47 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for North Central since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
