Basketball Game Preview: Wayne Pioneers vs. Lincoln County Panthers

The Wayne Pioneers will face off against the Lincoln County Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wayne knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matchups -- so hopefully Lincoln County likes a good challenge.

Wayne is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They managed a 92-87 win over Lawrence County on Monday.

Wayne's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Isaac Meddings, who went 9-for-13 en route to 29 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. Another player making a difference was Ronnie Staley, who dropped a double-double with 21 points and 11 assists.

Wayne smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Lincoln County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They were outmatched by Nitro and fell 84-39. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 47-10.

Wayne has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.4 points over those games. As for Lincoln County, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-12.

Everything went Wayne's way against Lincoln County when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as Wayne made off with an 81-58 victory. Will Wayne repeat their success, or does Lincoln County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.