Basketball Game Preview: Fort Wayne Snider Panthers vs. Blackford Bruins

Two dominant guards in Xavier Wilson and Gage Baker are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Fort Wayne Snider Panthers just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Blackford Bruins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Fort Wayne Snider knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Blackford likes a good challenge.

It was a proper cat-fight when Fort Wayne Snider challenged Leo on Friday. Fort Wayne Snider snuck past Leo with a 73-69 victory.

Qualyn Clopton

Assists

02/21/25 @ Leo	5
02/14/25 vs Fort Wayne Bishop Luers	2
02/11/25 vs Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian	2
02/06/25 @ Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger	4
01/31/25 vs Carroll	3
+ 13 more games

Fort Wayne Snider's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Qualyn Clopton led the charge by going 5-for-10 en route to 17 points and five assists. That's the most assists Clopton has posted since back in December of 2024. Braylin Fertil was another key player, going 5-for-9 on his way to 16 points and six boards.

Meanwhile, Blackford was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 46-41 to Northwestern.

Fort Wayne Snider is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.2 points over those games. Blackford's defeat dropped their record down to 13-8.