Preview: Pana Panthers vs. Sullivan Redskins
The Pana Panthers will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against the Sullivan Redskins at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. Hopefully Pana focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago, Pana ended up a good deal behind Carlinville and lost 48-29. While losing is never fun, Pana can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 501st, while Carlinville is ranked 185th).
Despite their loss, Pana saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Lilly Rochkes, who scored five points, was perhaps the best of all. Delaney Hackler was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Sullivan's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell 52-42 to Arcola. The matchup was a 24-24 toss-up at halftime, but Sullivan was outscored by Arcola in the second.
Pana's defeat was their seventh straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 4-20. Sullivan's record now sits at 12-10.
Pana strolled past Sullivan in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 by a score of 63-44. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pana since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
