Basketball Game Preview: Pinewood Panthers vs. Crystal Springs Uplands Gryphons

The Pinewood Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Crystal Springs Uplands Gryphons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Pinewood and three for Crystal Springs Uplands.

On Tuesday, Pinewood lost to Menlo School on the road by a 71-56 margin. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 666th, while the Knights are ranked 253rd).

Meanwhile, Crystal Springs Uplands played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 88-44 loss at the hands of Sacred Heart Prep. The Gryphons were down 68-33 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Pinewood's loss dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Crystal Springs Uplands, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.

Pinewood beat Crystal Springs Uplands 52-45 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pinewood since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.