Preview: Cumberland Valley Eagles vs. Central York Panthers
The Cumberland Valley Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Central York Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Pennsylvania (Cumberland Valley is ranked 16th, while the Panthers are ranked 25th).
Cumberland Valley unfortunately witnessed the end of their 15-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 54-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of Central Dauphin.
Despite their loss, Cumberland Valley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Nolan Buzalka, who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Buzalka is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Aiden Diehl, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Central York waltzed into their contest on Monday with eight straight wins but they left with nine. They walked away with a 78-70 win over William Penn. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Cumberland Valley's defeat ended a eight-game streak of away wins and brought them to 15-2. As for Central York, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 16-2 record this season.
Cumberland Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against the Panthers when the teams last played back in February of 2023, sneaking past 63-60. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cumberland Valley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
