Preview: Hutchinson Salthawks vs. Derby Panthers
Hutchinson is 0-10 against Derby since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hutchinson Salthawks will head out on the road to face off against the Derby Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Hutchinson didn't have too much trouble with Maize at home as they won 43-26. Given Hutchinson's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 106th, while Maize is ranked 227th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Derby entered their tilt with Haysville Campus with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Derby breezed by Haysville Campus on the road to the tune of 72-10. Derby has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 30 points or more this season.
Derby found their leader in underclassman Macayla Askew, who scored 14 points along with eight steals. That's the first time this season that Askew grabbed two or more steals. Another player making a difference was Carsen Carpenter, who scored seven points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Hutchinson pushed their record up to 5-3 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Derby, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Hutchinson lost to Derby on the road by a decisive 35-16 margin in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Thankfully for Hutchinson, Addy Brown (who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
