Basketball Game Preview: Western Panthers vs. Tri-Central Trojans

The Western Panthers will head out to challenge the Tri-Central Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Western is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak.

On Saturday, Western took a blow against McCutcheon, falling 66-21. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 278th, while the Mavericks are ranked tenth).

Cheyenne Smith was Western's leading scorer, having posted seven points. Smith also led the team in assists with two. Ellyse Walden held things down on the boards with six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Tri-Central came up short against Carroll on Thursday and fell 48-35. The Trojans haven't had much luck with the Cougars recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.

Tri-Central's defeat dropped their record down to 7-13. As for Western, their loss dropped their record down to 7-15.

Everything came up roses for Western against Tri-Central in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 67-37 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Western since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.