Basketball Game Preview: Paxton Tigers vs. Hitchcock County Falcons

Paxton and Hitchcock County are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Paxton Tigers will welcome the Hitchcock County Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Paxton duked it out withWallace on Friday. Paxton blew past Wallace 55-23. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 22 points or more this season.

Paxton can attribute much of their success to Jakcee Mitchell, who went 6 of 11 en route to 13 points and seven boards, and Emmalee Nicholson, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds. Nicholson is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. Jordan Clouse was another key player, putting up five points and four steals.

Paxton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hitchcock County, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They blew past Sutherland 56-34 on Saturday.

Hitchcock County's victory bumped their record up to 5-7. As for Paxton, their win bumped their record up to 7-5.

Paxton didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Hitchcock County in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 51-47 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Hitchcock County's Katie Jarecke, who went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc on her way to 27 points and three steals. Now that she won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for Paxton to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.