Basketball Game Preview: Mandarin Mustangs vs. Nease Panthers

The Mandarin Mustangs will challenge the Nease Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Mandarin is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They pulled ahead with a 36-35 photo finish over Oakleaf. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mustangs.

Reese Holman

Points

02/04/25 vs Oakleaf	17
02/03/25 vs First Coast	20
01/30/25 vs Beachside	21

Reese Holman was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 17 points and ten boards. Her morning made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Isabelle Sahyers, who posted ten points.

Meanwhile, Nease strolled past Fletcher with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 42-23.

Nease has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-12 record this season. As for Mandarin, they now have a winning record of 11-10.

Mandarin came up short against Nease when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 54-43. Can Mandarin avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.