Basketball Game Preview: Lisbon Lions vs. Monticello Panthers

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Lions challenge the Panthers on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Monticello will be up against a hot Lisbon squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Everything went Lisbon's way against Camanche on Monday as Lisbon made off with a 73-53 victory. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 20 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Monticello beat Camanche 63-53 last Tuesday. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the Indians are ranked 300th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Monticello's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-7. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points over those games. As for Lisbon, their victory bumped their record up to 17-6.