Basketball Game Preview: Derby Panthers vs. Maize South Mavericks

The Derby Panthers will head out to square off against the Maize South Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Derby knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 17 games -- so hopefully Maize South likes a good challenge.

Derby will head out to face Maize South after giving up their first home loss of the season on Friday. Derby took a 67-63 hit to the loss column at the hands of Hutchinson. The loss put an end to the Panthers' undefeated start to the season.

Jaxson Malvo

Points (Career)

02/14/25 vs Hutchinson	23
12/06/24 vs Andover	20
12/17/24 @ Maize	13
01/28/25 @ Hutchinson	12
01/14/25 vs Haysville Campus	12

Despite the loss, Derby had strong showings from Jaxson Malvo, who went 8-for-10 en route to 23 points and eight rebounds, and Avant Riley, who went 5-for-10 to rack up 17 points. Those 23 points gave Malvo a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cayden Titus, who posted nine points and seven boards.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Maize South). They secured a 69-64 W over Valley Center on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mavericks.

Maize South pushed their record up to 10-8 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.0 points over those games. As for Derby, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 16-1.

Derby was able to grind out a solid win over Maize South in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, winning 66-57. The rematch might be a little tougher for Derby since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.