Basketball Recap: Garinger Drops Season-High Score on Palisades + How To Watch

Wildcats

Team Score (Highest)

12/12/25 @ Palisades	74
11/18/25 @ Sugar Creek Charter	66
11/14/25 @ Ballantyne Ridge	63
12/05/25 vs Bradford Prep	56
12/02/25 @ Rocky River	56

Garinger scored the most points they've had this season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They came up short against the Palisades Pumas, falling 94-74. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 383rd, while the Pumas are ranked 171st).

Despite the loss, Garinger saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Aaron Lawler went 11-for-27 en route to 31 points and three steals. That was a full 41.9% of the Wildcats' points, marking the third time in a row Lawler has posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Jadarian Dixon, who shot 55% from the field to rack up 15 points and six boards.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Palisades to victory, but perhaps none more so than Brighton Lester, who dropped a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Thanks to that strong game, Lester now owns an excellent 45.5% field goal percentage. Joshua Harris was another key player, going 7-for-11 on his way to 18 points and five assists.

This is the second loss in a row for Garinger and nudges their season record down to 3-6. As for Palisades, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 3-4.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Garinger will take on Concord in a holiday battle at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Wildcats will be up against the Spiders' rather soft defense (which has allowed 61.63 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. Palisades and Lancaster will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Pumas will be up against the Bruins' rather soft defense (which has allowed 62.43 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.