Basketball Game Preview: Liberty Patriots vs. Hillcrest Panthers

The Liberty Patriots will take on the Hillcrest Panthers in a tournament on Thursday. Liberty will be strutting in after a victory while Hillcrest will be coming in after a defeat.

While Liberty didn't have the best season last year (they finished 14-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 65-52 win over Seminole on Friday. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 92nd, while the Indians are ranked 338th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Hillcrest lost 69-47 to South Oak Cliff last Friday. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Bears: they've now lost seven in a row.

Liberty will have to keep a close watch on Dj Corbin and Laterrance Potter Jr, a pair of players who had a big impact on Hillcrest's prior game. Corbin posted 14 points and six rebounds, while Potter Jr went 5 of 9 on his way to 16 points.

Hillcrest's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Liberty, their victory bumped their record up to 12-1.