Preview: Pelham Panthers vs. Helena Huskies
Pelham is 10-0 against Helena since February of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Pelham Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Helena Huskies at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully Pelham focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Friday.
Last Friday, Pelham beat Springville 54-47. Given Pelham's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 39th, while Springville is ranked 131st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pelham's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Karma Wynn led the charge by scoring 21 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Wynn has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tee King, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Helena's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They received a tough blow as they fell 38-20 to Briarwood Christian. Helena has struggled against Briarwood Christian recently, as their matchup on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Amari Grant was Helena's leading scorer, having posted eight points. Grant also led the team in rebounds with eight.
Pelham is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 14-9 record this season. As for Helena, their defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 8-16.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Pelham have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 25.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Helena, though, as they've been averaging only 23.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Pelham against Helena when the teams last played back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 57-29 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pelham since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
