Basketball Game Preview: Sale Creek Panthers vs. Van Buren County Eagles

Sale Creek hasn't had much luck against Van Buren County recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Sale Creek Panthers will face off against the Van Buren County Eagles at 5:30 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Sale Creek is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 77-32 win over Berean Academy. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 182nd, while the Eagles are ranked 410th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Sale Creek's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Addilynn Hughes led the charge by as she made all 5 shots she took for 14 points and five assists. Those 14 points gave Hughes a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Madilynn Ellis, who went 6 for 7 en route to 14 points.

Hughes wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Sale Creek was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Van Buren County came tearing into Saturday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victor by a 59-37 margin over the Wildcats. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 21 points or more this season.

Sale Creek pushed their record up to 14-8 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.4 points per game. As for Van Buren County, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season.

Sale Creek came up short against Van Buren County in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 51-44. Can Sale Creek avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.