Basketball Game Preview: Mabank Panthers vs. Canton Eagles

Mabank hasn't had much luck against Canton recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Mabank Panthers will take on the Canton Eagles in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m.

Mabank is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They received a blow as they fell 65-47 to Sulphur Springs. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Panthers came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 256th, while the Wildcats are ranked 544th).

Meanwhile, Canton had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They snuck past the Wildcats with a 52-48 win.

Mabank's loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 7-3. As for Canton, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.

Mabank was able to grind out a solid victory over Canton when the teams last played back in February, winning 54-42. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mabank since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.