Basketball Game Preview: Pine Island Panthers vs. Byron Bears

The Pine Island Panthers will challenge the Byron Bears at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Pine Island's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 12 games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Pine Island took on Zumbrota-Mazeppa on Tuesday. Pine Island was the clear victor by a 72-51 margin over Zumbrota-Mazeppa. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Panthers have posted since December 2, 2024.

Meanwhile, Byron faced Cannon Falls in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Byron snuck past Cannon Falls with a 60-54 win. Winning may never get old, but the Bears sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Pine Island is also on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 12-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.0 points per game. As for Byron, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-2.

Pine Island was taken down by Byron 65-38 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Pine Island avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.