Basketball Game Preview: Bristol Panthers vs. Leetonia Bears

The Bristol Panthers will take on the Leetonia Bears in a tournament on Saturday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Bristol is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest loss since February 16, 2024 on Friday. They were dealt a 74-40 defeat at the hands of Perry. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 468th, while the Pirates are ranked 229th).

Meanwhile, Leetonia lost to Waterloo at home by a 55-41 margin on Friday. The Bears have struggled against the Vikings recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Bristol will have to contain Brayden Earl as he made an impact in Leetonia's last game. He posted ten points and six rebounds. That's the most points Earl has posted since back in December of 2024.

Bristol's loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 15-7. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.8 points over those games. As for Leetonia, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-17.