Preview: Fairbanks Panthers vs. Columbus School for Girls Unicorns
The Fairbanks Panthers will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Columbus School for Girls Unicorns at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Fairbanks' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of Catholic Central by a score of 38-35.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Reese Poling, who scored six points along with five rebounds. Those five rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Rachael Hoover, who scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Columbus School for Girls came up short against Bishop Ready last Tuesday and fell 48-36. While losing is never fun, Columbus School for Girls can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 553rd, while Bishop Ready is ranked 175th).
Fairbanks has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season. As for Columbus School for Girls, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-6.
Fairbanks strolled past Columbus School for Girls when the teams last played back in December of 2017 by a score of 35-16. Will Fairbanks repeat their success, or does Columbus School for Girls have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
