Preview: Paulding Panthers vs. Van Wert Cougars
Paulding has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Van Wert Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Paulding suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Thursday. They suffered a tough 56-36 defeat at the hands of Ayersville. While losing is never fun, Paulding can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 346th, while Ayersville is ranked 67th).
Despite the loss, Paulding saw an underclassman step up: Kayleigh Dunham scored seven points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. Another player making a difference was Ameah Carr, who scored six points.
Meanwhile, Van Wert's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their third straight loss. They took a 45-33 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wapakoneta.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kendra Deehring, who scored 12 points along with four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Amaya Dowdy, who scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Paulding now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Van Wert, their defeat was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 3-10.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Paulding have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Van Wert, though, as they've been averaging only 20.5 rebounds per game. Given Paulding's sizeable advantage in that area, Van Wert will need to find a way to close that gap.
Paulding took a serious blow against Van Wert in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, falling 63-26. Can Paulding avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
