Basketball Game Preview: Western Panthers vs. West Lafayette Red Devils

Western is 8-2 against West Lafayette since January of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Western Panthers will host the West Lafayette Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Western took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They took down Peru 56-37.

Carter Biggs

Points

02/15/25 vs Peru	15
02/11/25 @ Oak Hill	20
02/06/25 @ Tippecanoe Valley	18

Western got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Carter Biggs out in front who went 6-for-10 on his way to 15 points and five boards. Biggs' evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Brycen Rucker was another key player, going 5-for-9 to rack up 13 points and six rebounds.

Western smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Meanwhile, West Lafayette strolled past Tri-County with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 75-59. Given the Red Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while the Cavaliers are ranked 334th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Western's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 11-9. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.7 points over those games. As for West Lafayette, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season.

Western came up short against West Lafayette in their previous meeting back in January, falling 47-42. Will Western have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.