The Independence Patriots will take on the Palisades Pumas at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Palisades will be up against a hot Independence team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Independence breezed past Butler to the tune of 70-32 on Friday. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 21 points or more this season.
Independence got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Nick Barnes out in front who on his way to 15 points and three steals. Jaxson Neely was another key player, en route to 13 points and six boards.
Meanwhile, Palisades didn't have quite enough to beat Olympic on Tuesday and fell 61-59. The Pumas haven't had much luck with the Trojans recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Independence will need to focus on slowing down Tymon Simpkins, one of several Palisades players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Simpkins a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayen Reeves, who to rack up 16 points and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Palisades smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Olympic only four offensive boards.
Independence pushed their record up to 21-5 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points over those games. As for Palisades, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-12.
Independence came up short against Palisades in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 51-45. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Reeves, who on his way to 22 points in addition to five assists and five boards. Now that Independence knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
