Basketball Game Preview: Peoria Panthers vs. Cactus Cobras

The Peoria Panthers will square off against the Cactus Cobras at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Peoria came up into this matchup off a tough 32-point loss back in December of 2024. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Poston Butte by a score of 66-63 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Panthers have suffered since December 28, 2023.

Meanwhile, Cactus had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They snuck past Westview with a 60-56 victory on Friday. The win was all the more spectacular given the Cobras' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 243rd, while the Knights are ranked 81st).

Peoria better focus on containing Xavier Ledet and Aden Thiesse as the pair were huge in Cactus' win. Ledet went 8 for 19 on his way to 21 points and five assists, while Thiesse almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave Thiesse a new career-high in blocks (four). Deven Caleb was another key player, putting up eight points.

Cactus' victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-12. As for Peoria, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-7.

Peoria came up short against Cactus when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 61-48. Thankfully for Peoria, Bradey Henige (who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 20 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.