Basketball Game Preview: Hibriten Panthers vs. West Caldwell Warriors

Two dominant guards in Rob Beasley and Jay Maxwell are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Hibriten Panthers will be home for the holidays to greet the West Caldwell Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hibriten has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since November 22.

On Tuesday, Hibriten took a blow against Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, falling 75-36. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 470th, while the Gryphons are ranked 78th).

Meanwhile, West Caldwell strolled past Newton-Conover with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 65-51. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Warriors.

West Caldwell's win came from a few key players Hibriten will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Maxwell, who went 8 of 14 on his way to 20 points and three steals. His evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayco Castro, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten rebounds.

West Caldwell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

West Caldwell is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.2 points per game. As for Hibriten, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.

Hibriten was taken down by West Caldwell 80-47 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Will Hibriten have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.