Basketball Game Preview: Hershey Panthers vs. Maywood/Hayes Center Wolves

The Hershey Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against the Maywood/Hayes Center Wolves at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Hershey is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Kearney Catholic on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hershey came up short against Kearney Catholic, falling 62-39. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-5.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Maywood/Hayes Center over Mullen in every quarter on their way to victory on Monday. Everything went Maywood/Hayes Center's way against Mullen as Maywood/Hayes Center made off with a 61-37 victory. The Wolves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 contests by 23 points or more this season.

Hershey better focus on containing Caylie Softley and Karissa Stengel as the pair were huge in Maywood/Hayes Center's win. Softley went 11 of 18 on her way to 25 points and five rebounds, while Stengel went 7 for 8 en route to 19 points along with eight assists and six steals. Stengel is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Blayklee Farr, who posted six points.

Maywood/Hayes Center was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mullen only racked up eight assists.

Maywood/Hayes Center pushed their record up to 18-3 with the win, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.9 points. As for Hershey, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-8 record this season.

Hershey came up short against Maywood/Hayes Center in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 56-50. Can Hershey avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.