Basketball Game Preview: Sheldon Panthers vs. Jefferson Independent Day Cavaliers

Sheldon is 2-8 against Jefferson Independent Day since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Sheldon Panthers will square off against the Jefferson Independent Day Cavaliers at 7:00 p.m.

Sheldon is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their tenth straight game dating back to last season on Tuesday. They were beaten by McAuley Catholic 59-14. The game marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Meanwhile, Jefferson Independent Day posted their biggest victory since November 25, 2024 on Thursday. Everything went their way against Wheaton as Jefferson Independent Day made off with a 70-47 win. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 43-22.

Jefferson Independent Day found their leader in sophomore Jack Twiss, who went 12 of 20 en route to 30 points in addition to six assists and five boards. That makes it three consecutive games in which Twiss has scored at least a third of Jefferson Independent Day's points. Another player making a difference was Will Twiss, who posted 13 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals.

Jefferson Independent Day's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-5. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.3 points per game. As for Sheldon, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.

Sheldon beat Jefferson Independent Day 45-32 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Does Sheldon have another victory up their sleeve, or will Jefferson Independent Day turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.