Basketball Game Preview: Pine Ridge Panthers vs. Taylor Wildcats

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Pine Ridge Panthers duke it out with the Taylor Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday... Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Pine Ridge saw some tournament action on Monday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 37-36 to Seabreeze. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Sandcrabs 16-4 in the first quarter.

Despite the defeat, Pine Ridge got top-tier performance from Serenity Cressor, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 17 rebounds. That was a full 36.1% of Pine Ridge's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Brooke Murray, who earned 11 points and four steals.

Even though they lost, Pine Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Taylor played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Seabreeze and fell 52-12. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 32-10.

Pine Ridge's loss was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 5-13. As for Taylor, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.

Everything came up roses for Pine Ridge against Taylor in their previous matchup back in January of 2015, as the team secured a 71-20 win. Will Pine Ridge repeat their success, or does Taylor have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.