Basketball Game Preview: Murphy Panthers vs. Theodore Bobcats

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Murphy Panthers face off against the Theodore Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday... Murphy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 67.8 points per game this season.

Murphy is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Minor just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Saturday. They took a 46-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers. The game marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Despite the loss, Murphy got top-tier performance from Cordairus Dixon, who went 8 for 17 on his way to 18 points and three steals. Dixon is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 13 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Mangram, who posted 13 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Theodore beat Douglas County 63-52 on Saturday. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 87th in Alabama, while the Tigers are ranked 366th in Georgia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Murphy's defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 13-4. As for Theodore, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-8.

Murphy didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Theodore in their previous meeting back in February, but they still walked away with a 63-57 win. Will Murphy repeat their success, or does Theodore have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.