Basketball Recap: Central Cass' Higher State Rank on Full Display on Friday

On Friday, the Central Cass Squirrels didn't have too much breathing room in their game against the Park Rapids Panthers, but they still walked away with a 75-70 win. Given the Squirrels' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 51st in North Dakota, while the Panthers are ranked 202nd in Minnesota), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Park Rapids' defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Parker Hunter, who dropped a double-double with 23 points and 12 boards. With that strong performance, Hunter is now averaging an impressive 15.3 points per game. Another player making a difference was Ryan Carroll, who almost dropped a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Central Cass' victory bumped their record up to 5-11. As for Park Rapids, their loss dropped their record down to 9-11.

Coming up, Central Cass won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Devils Lake at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Park Rapids, they will challenge Pelican Rapids at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.