Preview: Hershey Panthers vs. Sutherland Sailors
Hershey is 10-0 against Sutherland since January of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Hershey Panthers will be playing at home against the Sutherland Sailors at 8:00 p.m. Hopefully Hershey is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Sutherland in Nebraska (Hershey is ranked 88th, while Sutherland is ranked 262nd).
Hershey posted their biggest win yet this season last Friday. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 64-36 win over Maxwell. With that victory, Hershey brought their scoring average up to 50.3 points per game.
Hershey's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ali Vaughn, who scored 14 points along with five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Vaughn has scored all season. Kenna Bringewatt was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, Sutherland's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their sixth straight loss. They lost to Cambridge at home by a decisive 45-30 margin. Sutherland found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post nine fewer assists than your opponent.
The losing side was boosted by Story Rasby, who scored 15 points along with three steals.
Sutherland struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Hershey is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Sutherland, their defeat was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-9.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Hershey hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 50.3 points per game. It's a different story for Sutherland, though, as they've been averaging only 35 points per game. The only thing between Hershey and another offensive beatdown is Sutherland. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Everything came up roses for Hershey against Sutherland in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 65-32 win. With Hershey ahead 35-7 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
