Basketball Game Preview: Hancock Panthers vs. Union Tigers

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Panthers duke it out with the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Union took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Hancock, who comes in off a win.

Hancock is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. Everything went their way against Bishop Walsh on Thursday as Hancock made off with a 78-52 victory. The Panthers have beaten the Spartans the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Spartans has come to flipping the script.

Jacob Anderson

Points (Career)

02/13/25 vs Bishop Walsh	25
01/23/25 @ Faith Christian Academy	22
01/13/25 @ Paw Paw	19
12/17/24 vs Hyndman Charter School	19
01/11/24 vs Turkeyfoot Valley Area	18

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hancock to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jacob Anderson, who posted 25 points along with six boards and three steals. Those 25 points gave Anderson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Hunter Kerns, who earned 18 points.

Hancock smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Union came up short against Pendleton County on Friday and fell 66-54.

Hancock will need to focus on slowing down Braylon Ward, one of several Union players who made an impact when they last played. He went 7-for-14 on his way to 21 points in addition to six assists and six rebounds. That was a full 38.9% of Union's points, marking the fourth time in a row Ward has scored more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Eric Linkswiler, who went 6-for-9 en route to 14 points and six boards.

Hancock's win bumped their record up to 7-8. As for Union, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matches, which has put a noticeable dent in their 6-7 record this season.

Hancock came up short against Union in their previous matchup back in January, falling 56-50. Will Hancock have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.