Basketball Game Preview: Johnson County Central Thunderbirds vs. Palmyra Panthers

Johnson County Central and Palmyra are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. The Johnson County Central Thunderbirds will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Palmyra Panthers at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Johnson County Central has four straight victories, Palmyra has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Johnson County Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Fairbury 70-46 on Thursday. The Thunderbirds have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 23 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Palmyra came up short against Elmwood-Murdock on Thursday and fell 74-65. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by exactly nine points.

Johnson County Central will need focus on slowing down Harrison Boyte, one of several Palmyra players who made an impact when they last played. He went 8 for 13 en route to 20 points. Kobee Martin was another key player, going 5 of 9 on his way to 19 points and three blocks.

Palmyra's defeat dropped their record down to 4-13. As for Johnson County Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.

Johnson County Central took their win against Palmyra in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 58-35. Does Johnson County Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Palmyra turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.