Basketball Game Preview: Orange Panthers vs. Reidsville Rams

The Orange Panthers will square off against the Reidsville Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Orange has five straight wins, Reidsville has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Orange against Southern Alamance as the squad secured a 56-13 victory. The matchup marked the Panthers' most dominant win of the season.

Orange got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Shannon Murphy out in front who posted eight points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Stephens, who earned nine points and three steals.

Orange smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Reidsville fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Morehead on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 52-51 to the Panthers. While the Rams didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Panthers 14-3 in the first quarter.

Orange pushed their record up to 9-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.0 points per game. As for Reidsville, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.

Everything went Orange's way against Reidsville in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as Orange made off with a 59-36 victory. Does Orange have another victory up their sleeve, or will Reidsville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.