Basketball Preview: Paxton Tigers vs. Hershey Panthers
The Paxton Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Hershey Panthers at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Paxton will be strutting in after a victory while the Panthers will be coming in after a loss.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Paxton ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They escaped with a win against Sandhills Valley by the margin of a single free throw, 40-39. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Paxton.
Josh Eakins was his usual excellent self, scoring 18 points along with six rebounds. He hasn't dropped below 17 points for four straight games.
Meanwhile, Hershey's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their sixth straight loss. They fell just short of Maywood/Hayes Center by a score of 48-45.
Paxton's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-7. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points per game. As for Hershey, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Paxton against the Panthers in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 68-36 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Paxton since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
