Basketball Game Preview: Hoopeston Cornjerkers vs. Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers

The Hoopeston Cornjerkers will venture away from home to face off against the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hoopeston has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

If Paxton-Buckley-Loda heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Hoopeston took over last week. Hoopeston came out on top against Chrisman by a score of 65-54 on Tuesday. The Cornjerkers haven't had any issues with the Cardinals recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Alandize Barnett

Steals (Career)

02/18/25 @ Chrisman	3
12/02/24 @ Judah Christian	2
02/07/25 @ Armstrong	1
01/16/25 vs Urbana University	1
12/20/24 vs Salt Fork	1

Hoopeston found their leader in freshman Alandize Barnett, who went 10-for-17 to rack up 26 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals. Those three steals gave Barnett a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Trenton Montez, who posted 19 points along with seven boards and six steals.

Meanwhile, Paxton-Buckley-Loda came up short against St. Joseph-Ogden on Tuesday, falling 63-38. The Panthers have struggled against the Spartans recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Hoopeston's win bumped their record up to 18-11. As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, their loss dropped their record down to 12-14.

Hoopeston was able to grind out a solid victory over Paxton-Buckley-Loda when the teams last played back in December of 2023, winning 47-40. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hoopeston since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.