Basketball Game Preview: Union Knights/Damsels vs. Commodore Perry Panthers

The Union Knights/Damsels will head out on the road to square off against the Commodore Perry Panthers at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Union has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since January 13.

Union is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Redbank Valley on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Union had to suffer through a 66-16 loss at the hands of Redbank Valley. While losing is never fun, the Knights/Damsels can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 654th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 110th).

Kya Wetzel was Union's leading scorer, having posted nine points. Maddy Dehart held things down on the boards with seven rebounds. Lilly Hayden took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with two assists.

Meanwhile, Commodore Perry was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were outmatched by Cambridge Springs and fell 59-30. The Panthers were down 45-21 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Union will need to focus on slowing down Bella Saxe, one of several Commodore Perry players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 14 points. Another player making a difference was Eastin Post, who earned ten points.

Commodore Perry's loss dropped their record down to 7-11. As for Union, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-14.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Union has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Commodore Perry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Union strolled past Commodore Perry in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a score of 38-22. Does Union have another victory up their sleeve, or will Commodore Perry turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.