Basketball Game Preview: Flagler Panthers vs. Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates

Flagler is 1-8 against Genoa-Hugo/Karval since February of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Flagler Panthers will welcome the Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates at 7:30 p.m. Flagler will be strutting in after a victory while Genoa-Hugo/Karval will be coming in after a defeat.

Flagler's tournament run continued when they took on Weldon Valley on Friday. Flagler snuck past Weldon Valley with a 41-35 win.

Flagler's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braden Hill, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 13 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Keegan Isenbart, who posted nine points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Genoa-Hugo/Karval was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss dating back to last season. They had to suffer through a 54-19 loss at the hands of Evangel Christian Academy. The Pirates were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 36-13.

Ryker Lockhart was Genoa-Hugo/Karval's leading scorer, having posted five points. Shane Reid held things down on the boards with nine rebounds.

Genoa-Hugo/Karval's defeat dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Flagler, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Flagler has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Genoa-Hugo/Karval struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Flagler took a serious blow against Genoa-Hugo/Karval in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 60-20. Thankfully for Flagler, Trey Smith (who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 11 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.