Basketball Game Preview: West Salem Panthers vs. Aquinas Blugolds

Having just played yesterday, the West Salem Panthers will jump right back in to play the Aquinas Blugolds at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as West Salem comes in on three and Aquinas on nine.

On Thursday, everything came up roses for West Salem against Viroqua as the team secured a 73-27 win. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 23 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Aquinas got the win against Onalaska on Tuesday by a conclusive 57-36. The Blugolds is also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the six match they've won by 20+ points or more this season.

West Salem better keep an eye on Samantha Davis. She was instrumental in Aquinas' win, going 6 for 8 on her way to 14 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. Davis has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. Emma Dobbins was another key player, putting up eight points.

West Salem has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.4 points per game. As for Aquinas, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3.

West Salem suffered a grim 64-44 defeat to Aquinas when the teams last played back in January of 2023. Can West Salem avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.