Kenosha, Wis - After 31 days without a home game, the Parkside Rangers finally return home. Parkside will begin with a chance for revenge against Michigan Tech on Thursday, and then take on the defending GLIAC tournament championships, Northern Michigan, on Saturday. After a 2-3 road trip, the Rangers will look to get back on track with crucial conference clashes.
Scouting Parkside:
Parkside enters the weekend after wrapping up a five-game road trip on Sunday. The road trip consisted of significant wins against both Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State. However, it ended with a double overtime loss to Purdue Northwest on Sunday. Parkside 8-7 overall and 3-2 in GLIAC play. Colin O'Rourke hit the headlines after securing GLIAC's Defensive Player of the Week honors. Parkside Head Coach Luke Reigel described it as "Colin's best defensive game of his career." Offensively, O'Rourke is averaging 13.4 points per game, shooting 48% from the floor and 43% from three.
Since returning from injury, Nick Brown has provided Parkside with a spark. In his last four games, Brown is averaging 11.8 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. Brown is also considered one of Parkside's top defenders after earning a spot on the All-GLIAC Defense team last season.
Click here for full game notes
Scouting Michigan Tech:
The Huskies of Michigan Tech have been a familiar foe for the Rangers. In fact, the history runs since 1996. Most recently, Parkside snapped a six-game losing streak by sweeping them during last year's regular season. However, MTU got the last laugh by knocking Parkside out of the GLIAC tournament with a major upset in the Quarterfinals. This season, MTU is just 5-10 and 2-4 in GLI-AC play. MTU is led by Marcus Tomashek who is averaging 23.0 ppg which is best in the conference. Tomashek dropped 26 at De Simone Arena in the Quarterfinals last season.
Scouting NMU:
Northern Michigan has been the best team in the GLIAC through the first six conference games. Behind a dominant effort in home games, NMU is 13-5 overall and 6-0 in GLIAC play. Enter-ing battle this weekend, the team rides an impressive nine-game win streak dating back to (11/26/23). Both Dylan Kuehl and Max Weisbrod have been an offensive force for the second highest scoring team in the conference. Kuehl is averaging 16.4 and Weisbrod is averaging 14.7 points per game. Most recently, NMU took down LSSU and FSU in nail biting finishes at home.
History:
Parkside is 10-17 all-time against MTU, dating back to 1995. After losing six consecutive games, Parkside snapped the streak with a regular season sweep last year. However, MTU got the last laugh. As the eight seed, MTU knocked out first ranked Parkside in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament. The all-time is thinner between Parkside and NMU. Parkside is 5-7 all-time since 2016. The teams split the season series last season, with the home team being victorious in both games. Parkside is 4-0 when playing in Kenosha.
Up next:
Parkside will hit the road once again. They will take on Davenport and Grand valley State on Thursday (1/25) and Saturday (1/27). For coverage of the events, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
