Basketball Game Preview: Cranston East Thunderbolts vs. Johnston Panthers

The Cranston East Thunderbolts will face off against the Johnston Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Cranston East and ten for Johnston dating back to last season.

Cranston East is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Pilgrim, who was ranked fifth at the time (Cranston East was ranked 19th). Cranston East took a 67-53 bruising from Pilgrim on Monday.

Meanwhile, Johnston scored the most points they've had this season on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough. They lost to Westerly on the road by a 69-55 margin.

Johnston's loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Cranston East, they now have a losing record at 3-4.

Cranston East came up short against Johnston when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 60-48. Can Cranston East avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.