Basketball Game Preview: Martin County Tigers vs. Dwyer Panthers

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Martin County Tigers take on the Dwyer Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday... Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Martin County is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Forest Hill: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Martin County blew Forest Hill out of the water with an 80-0 final score. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 24 points or more this season.

Becca Witt

Points (Career)

01/20/25 vs Forest Hill	19
12/28/24 vs Sumner	17
11/19/24 vs Seminole Ridge	16
12/30/24 vs Sickles	16
11/21/24 vs Somerset Academy - Canyons	15

Katelyn Pire and Becca Witt were among the main playmakers for Martin County as the former posted 24 points and the latter put up 19 points. The dominant performance gave Witt a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brianna Valenza, who scored ten points.

Meanwhile, Dwyer hadn't done well against Palm Beach Gardens recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Dwyer came out on top in a nail-biter against Palm Beach Gardens, sneaking past 50-47. The win was all the more spectacular given the Panthers' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 200th, while the Gators are ranked 78th).

Dwyer's win came from a few key players Martin County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was C'Orna Greene, who went 5 for 12 on her way to 12 points and six boards. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. Maressa Deitch was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.

Martin County has been performing well recently as they've won 12 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.9 points per game. As for Dwyer, they pushed their record up to 7-9 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home.

Martin County was able to grind out a solid win over Dwyer in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 39-32. The rematch might be a little tougher for Martin County since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.