Basketball Game Preview: Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers vs. Prairie Central Hawks

The Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers will face off against the Prairie Central Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Paxton-Buckley-Loda's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Prairie Central has been banged up by eight consecutive losses on the road.

Last Tuesday, Paxton-Buckley-Loda came up short against Bloomington Central Catholic and fell 59-52. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 392nd, while the Saints are ranked 193rd).

Meanwhile, Prairie Central also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Illinois Valley Central by a score of 59-49.

Prairie Central's defeat dropped their record down to 6-18. As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, their loss dropped their record down to 9-12.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda might still be hurting after the 69-46 defeat they got from Prairie Central in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Thankfully for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Tyler Curl (who went 10 of 18 en route to 26 points in addition to seven assists and seven boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.