Preview: Skyline Eagles vs. West Panthers
Skyline is 4-0 against West since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Skyline Eagles will look to defend their home court against the West Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully Skyline is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than West in Utah (Skyline is ranked 35th, while West is ranked 104th).
Skyline's four-game losing streak came to an end last Tuesday. They walked away with a 57-50 win over East. The victory was just what Skyline needed coming off of a 78-47 defeat in their prior matchup.
Skyline found their leader in underclassman Trenton Wells, who scored 15 points. Another player making a difference was Beau Bierman, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, West's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their sixth straight loss. They took a 54-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of East.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Chachi Pan, who scored nine points along with two steals. Phillip Ladua was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Skyline's win bumped their record up to 9-5. As for West, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Skyline have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 43% of their threes per game. However, it's not like West struggles in that department as they've made 44.7% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Skyline strolled past West when the teams last played back in February of 2019 by a score of 57-38. Will Skyline repeat their success, or does West have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
