Basketball Game Preview: Mart Panthers vs. Axtell Longhorns

The Mart Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Axtell Longhorns at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Friday, Mart took a blow against Marlin, falling 59-29. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 1205th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 543rd).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Axtell). They breezed by Chilton to the tune of 60-23 on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Mart dropped their record down to 3-5 with the loss, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Axtell, the win got them back to even at 5-5.

Mart and Axtell were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, but Mart came up empty-handed after a 48-47 defeat. Can Mart avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.