Norland has been on the road for four straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Northwestern Bulls at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Florida (Norland is ranked 183rd, while Northwestern is ranked 187th).
Last Tuesday, Norland came up short against Sports Leadership & Management and fell 49-36.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Myah Newton, who scored seven points along with 20 rebounds. Jasmine Johnson was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
In what's become a running theme this season, Northwestern gave their fans yet another huge victory on Wednesday. They blew past Lourdes Academy 45-24. The victory was nothing new for Northwestern as they're now sitting on five straight.
Northwestern's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Janyiah Mickens, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Mickens is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Sophonie Felix, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Norland's defeat was their sixth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 6-12. As for Northwestern, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 10-5 record this season.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Norland have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 25.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Northwestern, though, as they've been averaging only 27 rebounds per game. Given Norland's sizeable advantage in that area, Northwestern will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Norland against Northwestern in their previous meeting back in November of 2022 as the squad secured a 46-18 win. Will Norland repeat their success, or does Northwestern have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
