Preview: Norfolk Panthers vs. Pius X Thunderbolts
Norfolk is 1-7 against Pius X since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Norfolk Panthers' homestand continues as they prepare to take on the Pius X Thunderbolts at 5:30 p.m. on January 16th. Norfolk will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings (they are ranked 156th, while Pius X is ranked 32nd).
Last Saturday, Norfolk rang in the new year with a 51-43 win over South Sioux City.
Norfolk found their leader in underclassman Harper Fossum, who scored ten points. Another player making a difference was Tasha Eisenhauer, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Pius X fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Lincoln Southeast on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Knights by a score of 57-55. Even though they lost, Pius X's still made a splash on offense and bumped their average scoring up to 50.4 points per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Despite their loss, Pius X saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Sara Iburg, who scored 22 points, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Iburg has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Keeleigh Knobbe, who scored 13 points along with five steals.
Norfolk pushed their record up to 4-7 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.7 points per game. As for Pius X, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-4.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's matchup: Norfolk have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4 threes per game. It's a different story for Pius X, though, as they've been averaging only 5.4 threes per game. Given Norfolk's sizeable advantage in that area, Pius X will need to find a way to close that gap.
Norfolk took a serious blow against Pius X when the teams last played back in January of 2023, falling 71-41. Will Norfolk have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
