Basketball Recap: Jr Bates Key Part of a Team Effort in Panthers Win

It was a proper cat-fight when Pickerington North took on Lincoln on Friday. The Pickerington North Panthers walked away with a 64-54 win over the Lincoln Lions. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Lions are ranked 187th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Pickerington North's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jr Bates led the charge by going 5 for 9 on his way to 17 points. Bates has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 14 times he's played. Arness Lawson was another key player, going 9 of 16 en route to 19 points and six rebounds.

Panthers

Previous 2 Games

01/17/25 vs Lincoln	64-54
01/14/25 vs Dublin Coffman	54-49

Pickerington North smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 23 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Pickerington North's victory bumped their record up to 9-3. As for Lincoln, they dropped their record down to 6-6 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.

Pickerington North will face off against Beavercreek at 4:45 p.m. on Monday. As for Lincoln, they will take on Perrysburg at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.