Hershey and Paxton are an even 4-4 against one another since February of 2018, but not for long. The Panthers will welcome the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Hershey is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Dundy County-Stratton just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 58-55.
Houston Hill
| 02/06/26 @ Dundy County-Stratton | 19 |
| 02/05/26 vs Maywood/Hayes Center | 4 |
| 02/03/26 @ Kearney Catholic | 11 |
| 01/31/26 @ Chase County | 8 |
| 01/30/26 @ Bridgeport | 17 |
| + 15 more games |
Despite the loss, Hershey had strong showings from Houston Hill, who posted 19 points and seven rebounds, and Jack Smith, who had nine points in addition to eight blocks and six boards. With that strong performance, Hill is now averaging an impressive 15 points per game. Cole Murdock was another key player, putting up four points along with eight boards and seven assists.
Meanwhile, Paxton had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.7 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They walked away with a 61-48 victory over the Blue Knights.
Paxton's win came from a few key players that Hershey will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Maddex McConnell, who went 9-for-16 to rack up 21 points. His big performance that evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tristen Hebblethwaite, who scored eight points in addition to 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Paxton was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They are 10-2 when they've passed the ball that well.
Hershey's defeat dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Paxton, their win bumped their record up to 12-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hershey has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Paxton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hershey strolled past Paxton in their previous meeting back in February of 2025 by a score of 61-44. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
