Kenosha, Wis. - The Parkside Rangers are set to conclude the 2024-25 regular season this weekend at home. They will begin the weekend with a Thursday night battle against Northern Michigan, and then the finale on Saturday against Michigan Tech.
Last weekend for the Rangers
Parkside concluded their road regular season schedule with a split against Lake Superior State and Ferris State. In arguably the most challenging road trip of the season, Parkside began it with a bang. The Rangers exploded in the second half against Lake Superior State, outscoring the Lakers 46-25 in the final 20 minutes. Cassidy Arni, who posted another monster weekend, led the Rangers with a big 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. Sheridan Flauger also had a big game, registering 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Parkside handled business 75-61 and netted their fifth straight win at the time.
On Saturday, Parkside saw their win streak come to an end. In front of a loud and hostile environment in Big Rapids, Parkside battled in a close game with Ferris State but fell in the end. Arni was once again Parkside's most impactful player offensively, scoring 22 points on 50% shooting. This marked the third consecutive game that Arni finished with 20 or more points. Chloe Van Zeeland was also a big factor, as she recorded her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Despite the two performances, a 50-39 second half favoring Ferris State would tell the tale.
With the season winding down, Parkside now finds themselves one game back from Ferris State in the GLIAC standings and tied with Northern Michigan for third place. They have a narrow advantage over Wayne State, who is one game behind them and in fifth. With two games to play, Parkside needs one victory in the next two games to host a GLIAC quarterfinal.
FULL GAME NOTES HERE
Scouting Northern Michigan
Before the season began, people circled the Parkside-Northern Michigan game on their calendars as one that could be a game-of-the-year candidate. And entering the weekend, it has the possibility of being just that. Northern Michigan and Parkside are tied in the GLIAC standings in the third-place spot. With a win, Northern Michigan would clinch at least the three-seed and host a GLIAC quarterfinal game. However, with a loss, Parkside will be in the driver's seat to secure the three-seed.
Northern Michigan bounced back from their loss last weekend to Michigan Tech with a victory on Monday night over Roosevelt, defeating the Lakers 90-52. When the calendar flipped to February, the Wildcats turned it into a new gear. Since February 1, Northern Michigan has won six of their last seven. They collected a signature victory over Ferris State on February 15, downing the second-place Bulldogs 75-48 in a rout in Marquette, Michigan.
Northern Michigan has a well-balanced offensive attack with five players averaging 7.5 or more points per game. However, preseason All-GLIAC selection Jacy Weisbrod leads the team, scoring 13.6 points per night. Weisbrod has proved to be one of the best three-point shooters in the conference, as she has knocked down 61 total this season, which ranks at the top of the conference. Both Weisbrod and Sarah Newcomer are top-five in the GLIAC with 37% three-point clips.
Scouting Michigan Tech
The GLIAC postseason teams are locked in, and the Michigan Tech Huskies are in. Now the next thing to focus on is where each team will seed, and there are countless possibilities. Entering the weekend, the Huskies are 8-10, which places them alone in seventh place in the conference. However, pending results this upcoming weekend, they could place sixth, seventh, or eighth.
Michigan Tech will open the weekend at Purdue Northwest before making their way into Kenosha. This season, they have been a solid team at home but have struggled on the road; they are just 2-8 in road games. Despite a loss last weekend to Roosevelt, the team collected the biggest win of their season on Thursday, downing rival Northern Michigan at home 64-59. A big first-half lead was nearly squandered, but Michigan Tech was able to hang on for the win.
Now getting more in-depth, the Huskies are led by one of the best scorers in the conference, Isabella Lenz. Lenz currently ranks seventh in the league with 14.1 points per night. Kendall Standfest (12.2) and Janie Tormanen (11.2) have also been catalysts this season for Michigan Tech, averaging double figures as well. Standfest, the 6-foot freshman, will be a point of emphasis this week, as she ranks top three in the conference, pulling down eight rebounds a game.
History
Parkside will look to snap a six-game losing streak against Northern Michigan on Thursday night. They have not recorded a victory over them since 2022. Additionally, Northern Michigan owns the all-time series 26-6. And despite losing 22-of-32 all-time to Michigan Tech, Parkside has won their last two matchups. In fact, Parkside knocked Michigan Tech out of the GLIAC Tournament last season and won an OT thriller in the first conference game in December.
