Preview: Marian Catholic vs. Panther Valley Panthers
Marian Catholic will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Panther Valley Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Marian Catholic has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 392 points over their last six matches.
Marian Catholic has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 21 points or more this season. Everything went their way against Lehigh Valley Academy on Saturday as Marian Catholic made off with a 69-48 win. Given Marian Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 161st, while Lehigh Valley Academy is ranked 490th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Julius Currie continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 31 points and 11 rebounds. The matchup was his fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was James Rodino, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, things could have been worse for Panther Valley, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 55-40 loss to North Schuylkill on Monday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Panther Valley has scored all season.
Panther Valley's loss came about despite a quality game from Drew Kokinda, who scored 15 points along with three steals. That's the first time this season that Kokinda grabbed two or more steals. Logan Fisher was another key contributor, scoring four points along with eight rebounds.
Marian Catholic's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Panther Valley, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Marian Catholic have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 37 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Panther Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 34 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Marian Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Panther Valley in their previous meeting on December 1st, winning 58-48. Will Marian Catholic repeat their success, or does Panther Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
