Basketball Game Preview: Griffith Panthers vs. East Chicago Central Cardinals

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Griffith Panthers face off against the East Chicago Central Cardinals at 5:30 p.m. on Friday... East Chicago Central took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Griffith, who comes in off a win.

Griffith is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They breezed by Calumet New Tech to the tune of 57-16. That 41 point margin sets a new team best for the Panthers this season.

Griffith's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Morgan Von Ogden led the charge by going 6 for 12 on her way to 16 points and five steals. Von Ogden's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddy Ladendorf, who went 6 of 15 en route to 16 points.

Meanwhile, East Chicago Central was not able to break out of their rough patch two weeks ago as the team picked up their third straight loss. They lost 59-34 to Benton Central. While losing is never fun, the Cardinals can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 275th, while the Bison are ranked 98th).

With the win, Griffith broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 10-12. As for East Chicago Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-13.

Griffith came up short against East Chicago Central in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 43-38. Can Griffith avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.