Basketball Recap: Rank Disadvantage No Problem for Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Paxton-Buckley-Loda hadn't done well against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers came out on top against the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons by a score of 54-44. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Panthers' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 359th, while the Falcons are ranked 143rd).

The win got Paxton-Buckley-Loda back to even at 5-5. As for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, the loss snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 7-3 record.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Clinton at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. As for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Eureka at 7:00 p.m. on January 10, 2025.