Basketball Game Preview: Derby Panthers vs. Dodge City Demons

Derby has gone 3-0 against Dodge City recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Derby Panthers are taking a road trip to take on the Dodge City Demons at 8:00 p.m. Derby knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight matches -- so hopefully Dodge City likes a good challenge.

Derby is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Haysville Campus: they outscored them in every quarter. Derby took down Haysville Campus 70-52 last Tuesday. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while the Colts are ranked 302nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cayden Titus was his usual excellent self, going 5 of 7 en route to 13 points and five boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Jaxson Malvo was another key player, going 5 for 9 on his way to 12 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, after only 24 points in their last game, Dodge City made sure to put some points up on the board against Liberal on Friday. Dodge City really took it to Liberal for the full four quarters, racking up an 81-53 win. That 28 point margin sets a new team best for the Demons this season.

Dodge City is also on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 4-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for Derby, they pushed their record up to 8-0 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home.

Derby strolled past Dodge City in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 54-37. The rematch might be a little tougher for Derby since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.