Basketball Game Preview: Jay Royals vs. Paxton Bobcats

The Jay Royals will face off against the Paxton Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Jay's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three games.

Last Saturday, Jay strolled past Paxton with points to spare, taking the game 61-46. The win continues a trend for the Royals in their matchups with the Bobcats: they've now won six in a row.

Jay's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Presley Hawthorne led the charge by putting up ten points in addition to seven assists and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Aubreigh Nelson, who posted 20 points and seven boards.

Hawthorne wasn't the only one working in the assist department: Jay was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Paxton only racked up six assists.

Jay pushed their record up to 19-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.8 points over those games. As for Paxton, their loss dropped their record down to 19-4.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Jay has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Paxton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.