Basketball Game Preview: Pine River-Backus Tigers vs. Cass Lake-Bena Panthers

Pine River-Backus hasn't had much luck against Cass Lake-Bena recently, but that could start to change on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Tigers duke it out with the Panthers at 1:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Tuesday, Pine River-Backus took their game with ease, bagging a 60-30 win over Laporte.

Meanwhile, Cass Lake-Bena blew past Kelliher/Northome, posting a 110-83 victory. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 26 points or more this season.

The win made it two in a row for Cass Lake-Bena and bumps their season record up to 13-9. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 105.5 points over those games. As for Pine River-Backus, they now have a winning record of 11-10.

Pine River-Backus won a matchup that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in January, slipping by Cass Lake-Bena 70-69. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pine River-Backus since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.