Basketball Game Preview: St. Mary Central Catholic Panthers vs. Hopewell-Loudon Chieftains

The St. Mary Central Catholic Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Hopewell-Loudon Chieftains at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

St. Mary Central Catholic is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Gibsonburg on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. St. Mary Central Catholic lost 58-36 to Gibsonburg. The defeat continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Golden Bears: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Hopewell-Loudon over St. Joseph Central Catholic in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hopewell-Loudon blew St. Joseph Central Catholic out of the water with a 64-9 final score. That looming 64-9 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Chieftains yet this season.

The win made it two in a row for Hopewell-Loudon and bumps their season record up to 8-12. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.0 points over those games. As for St. Mary Central Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 7-14.

St. Mary Central Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Hopewell-Loudon in their previous matchup back in January, winning 47-38. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Mary Central Catholic since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.