Basketball Game Preview: Sacred Heart Crusaders vs. Lumberton Panthers

Sacred Heart hasn't had much luck against Lumberton recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Sacred Heart Crusaders will square off against the Lumberton Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Sacred Heart will head into Tuesday's contest on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking three-point defeat in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Salem on Tuesday. Sacred Heart blew past Salem 65-27. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Crusaders as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, Lumberton hadn't done well against Resurrection Catholic recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Lumberton had just enough and edged Resurrection Catholic out 43-40.

Lumberton's victory ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-3. As for Sacred Heart, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-8.

Sacred Heart was able to grind out a solid victory over Lumberton when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 50-42. Will Sacred Heart repeat their success, or does Lumberton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.