Basketball Game Preview: Western Panthers vs. Tippecanoe Valley Vikings

The Western Panthers will head out to challenge the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Saturday, Western came up short against Clinton Prairie and fell 65-56.

Meanwhile, Tippecanoe Valley came tearing into Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 50-33 victory over the Lancers.

Western has also been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-7 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Tippecanoe Valley, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4.

Western might still be hurting after the 47-22 loss they got from Tippecanoe Valley when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Thankfully for Western, Kyler Johnson (who went 5 for 12 en route to 14 points and eight boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.