Basketball Game Preview: Monticello Panthers vs. Northeast Rebels

Monticello is 9-1 against Northeast since January of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Monticello Panthers will challenge the Northeast Rebels at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Monticello faced off against Maquoketa on Tuesday. Monticello blew past Maquoketa 61-35. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 23 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Northeast strolled past Camanche with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 71-53. Given the Rebels' advantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 58th, while the Indians are ranked 313th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Northeast pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.1 points per game. As for Monticello, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season.

Monticello came up short against Northeast in their previous meeting back in January, falling 67-58. Can Monticello avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.