Basketball Game Preview: Norfork Panthers vs. Viola Longhorns

Norfork and Viola are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2019, but not for long. The Norfork Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Viola Longhorns at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Norfork came up short against Rural Special on Tuesday, falling 51-27. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arkansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Rebels are ranked 50th).

Meanwhile, Viola was able to grind out a solid win over Calico Rock on Tuesday, taking the game 50-38.

Viola has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Norfork, they now have a losing record at 12-13.

Norfork was able to grind out a solid victory over Viola in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, winning 54-45. The rematch might be a little tougher for Norfork since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.