MAPLE — The Northwestern High School girl's basketball team is set to face Hayward High School at home Friday, Jan 26.
Despite having a stronger record in the Heart O' North Conference, the Tigers (8-3) are preparing for a tough match-up against the Hurricanes (2-8).
“Hayward is always tough to play because I think Coach Brennan does a great job. He has the girls playing hard, and they always compete,” said Tigers coach Paul Eberhardt. “They have a couple of veteran guards that can get going and make shots, so you have to be aware of that. They also have a big girl which has given us some match-up issues. I think they just don't have the same depth we have had, which puts more pressure on them.”
Speaking of pressure, junior guard Tieryn Plasch, who scored her 1000th career point as a junior Jan. 20, echoed some of Eberhardt's thoughts.
“Hayward is well-coached, and they are very tenacious on defense,” she said. “They like to slow it down and run their offense, where we like to push the ball and try to score before the defense is set. Hayward also has a good post, and our team doesn’t really have a set post player, so we’ve been practicing how we best can defend her.”
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Though practice takes the cake in terms of this game, excitement and anticipation are clearly present for Friday as there seems to be more than basketball to look forward to.
“I’m very excited for the Hayward game. The stands are going to be packed because our Snowball Dance is right after it,” said Plasch. “It’s always fun to play Hayward because every time it’s competitive. Both teams are going 100% at all times. At our last home game, we had a tough loss, so I’m excited to be back on the home court again for a better game.”
The Tigers currently have the upper hand with their record in the HON conference, as well as the ability to play on their home court, but there’s no doubt that the Hurricanes will come to compete.
Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m.
