Basketball Game Preview: West Panthers vs. Brighton Bengals

The West Panthers will challenge the Brighton Bengals at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as West comes in on 22 and Brighton on five.

West is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They blew past Taylorsville 70-22. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matches by 20 points or more this season.

Kylee Falatea

Steals

02/20/25 vs Taylorsville	8
02/14/25 vs Highland	3
02/07/25 vs Skyline	4
02/04/25 @ East	2
01/31/25 vs Alta	5
+ 36 more games

West's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kylee Falatea, who posted 20 points in addition to eight steals and seven assists. Falatea has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 41 times she's played. Fina Tuha was another key player, going 6-for-9 to rack up 15 points along with eight steals and five assists.

West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.

Meanwhile, Brighton's game on Thursday was all tied up 29-29 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They walked away with a 61-51 victory over Viewmont.

West pushed their record up to 22-0 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Brighton, their victory bumped their record up to 17-7.

Everything came up roses for West against Brighton in their previous meeting back in January, as the squad secured an 83-40 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for West since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.