Basketball Game Preview: North Star Cougars vs. Penns Manor Comets

The North Star Cougars will face off against the Penns Manor Comets at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Penns Manor will be up against a hot North Star team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. North Star breezed by Rockwood to the tune of 72-41 on Tuesday. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 307th, while the Rockets are ranked 758th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Penns Manor came up short against Marion Center on Saturday and fell 66-55. The Comets have struggled against the Stingers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

North Star will need focus on slowing down Dylan Depp, one of several Penns Manor players who made an impact when they last played. He posted 11 points. Another player making a difference was Vinny Myers, who scored 18 points.

North Star is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.9 points per game. As for Penns Manor, they now have a losing record at 10-11.

North Star took their win against Penns Manor in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a conclusive 68-46. Will North Star repeat their success, or does Penns Manor have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.