Basketball Game Preview: Penn Cambria Panthers vs. Chestnut Ridge Lions

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Penn Cambria Panthers duke it out with the Chestnut Ridge Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday... Penn Cambria is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season.

Last Thursday, Penn Cambria lost to Greater Johnstown at home by a 64-48 margin. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now lost four in a row.

The losing side was boosted by Caden Gibbons, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Harrold, who posted ten points in addition to six assists and five boards.

Even though they lost, Penn Cambria smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Chestnut Ridge rang in the new year with a 62-51 victory over Bellwood-Antis on Friday. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 194th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 684th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Chestnut Ridge's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. As for Penn Cambria, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-5.

Penn Cambria came up short against Chestnut Ridge when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 70-58. Can Penn Cambria avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.