Basketball Game Preview: Beloit Trojans vs. Phillipsburg Panthers

The Beloit Trojans will venture away from home to face off against the Phillipsburg Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with three losses in a row, Beloit turned things around against Republic County on Tuesday. They took down the Buffaloes 49-35. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

It was another big night for Cassandra Thompson, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 8.1 boards per game. Another player making a difference was Addison Budke, who posted eight points in addition to 13 rebounds and six blocks.

Beloit smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 14 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Phillipsburg had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They breezed by the Ringnecks to the tune of 52-18. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 22 points or more this season.

Phillipsburg pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 23.8 points per game. As for Beloit, their record now sits at 8-6.

Beloit was able to grind out a solid victory over Phillipsburg in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 42-29. The rematch might be a little tougher for Beloit since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.