Bedford and Penn Cambria are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. The Bedford Bisons will take on the Penn Cambria Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Bedford has now lost eight straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 6.
Last Friday, Bedford was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 51-50 to Clearfield. While losing is never fun, the Bisons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 577th, while the Bison are ranked 212th).
| 01/17/25 vs Clearfield | 9 |
| 01/15/25 vs Bishop McCort | 12 |
| 01/08/25 vs Westmont Hilltop | 10 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Aj Koontz, who posted eight points and nine rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted nine or more boards the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Taylor, who had 15 points.
Even though they lost, Bedford smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Penn Cambria lost to Bishop Guilfoyle at home by a 77-63 margin on Friday.
Bedford will have to keep a close watch on Caden Gibbons and Brandon Rabish, a pair of players who had a big impact on Penn Cambria's prior game. Gibbons went 7 for 9 on his way to 17 points and five rebounds, while Rabish went 6 of 11 en route to 15 points and three steals. Blake Lilly was another key player, putting up 12 points.
Penn Cambria dropped their record down to 6-7 with the defeat, which was their third straight at home. As for Bedford, their loss dropped their record down to 2-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Bedford has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Penn Cambria struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Bedford came up short against Penn Cambria when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 64-52. Can Bedford avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
