Basketball Game Preview: Mifflin Punchers vs. Linden-McKinley Panthers

After both having extra time off, the Mifflin Punchers and the Linden-McKinley Panthers will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Linden-McKinley took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Mifflin, who comes in off a win.

Mifflin is headed into the contest having just posted their biggest victory since February 9, 2024 two weeks ago. They put the hurt on Columbus International with a sharp 64-41 win. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 39-18.

Mifflin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kesahn Bouttry led the charge by putting up ten points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Adimalik Omar, who posted 11 points and five rebounds.

Mifflin smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 18 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Linden-McKinley was not able to break out of their rough patch two weeks ago as the team picked up their seventh straight loss dating back to last season. The contest between them and Bluffton didn't end well, with Linden-McKinley falling 62-45. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 748th, while the Pirates are ranked 169th).

Linden-McKinley's defeat dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Mifflin, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.

Mifflin came up short against Linden-McKinley in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 60-56. Can Mifflin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.