Basketball Game Preview: Priory Panthers vs. Natomas Nighthawks

The Priory Panthers will take on the Natomas Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Priory's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five matchups.

Priory is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top against Washington by a score of 64-53. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 144th, while the Eagles are ranked 514th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Priory can attribute much of their success to Teddy Xanthopoulos, who posted 16 points, and Mate Palotai, who scored 15 points. Jai Gerrodette was another key player, putting up eight points.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Natomas, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They walked away with an 84-71 victory over Piedmont on Tuesday.

Natomas pushed their record up to 25-8 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.0 points over those games. As for Priory, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season.