Preview: South Medford Panthers vs. North Eugene Highlanders
The South Medford Panthers will finish 2023 at home by hosting the North Eugene Highlanders at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
South Medford scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 73-57 win over Benson Tech. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win South Medford has managed all season.
Meanwhile, North Eugene waltzed into their contest Wednesday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They managed a 51-46 win over Putnam. The score was all tied up 22-22 at the break, but North Eugene was the better team in the second half.
It was another big night for India Mohiuddin, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least 25% of North Eugene's points. Elias McKinnis was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds.
The win got South Medford back to even at 3-3. As for North Eugene, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.
South Medford beat North Eugene 54-43 in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was North Eugene's Ben Kitzhaber, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for South Medford to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
